Chaos Theories
by shadowedstormy
Summary: Zaheer. P'Li. Ming Hua. Ghazan. The criminal airbender. The amazonian combustionbender. The armless waterbender. The tattooed earthbender. A series of oneshots on the Red Lotus. Everything from canon to fanon to AUs, humour to angst, and everything in between.
1. Morning Routine

Ming Hua loved daybreak exercises.

Or, more accurately, she loved Ghazan's daybreak exercises. As soon as the sun rose, Ghazan would be awake. It was easy enough for him to do that as he had now developed an aversion to not being able to see the stars. Ming Hua, who generally didn't fall asleep until late anyway, often would be in her tent and would hear him muttering low as he traced out constellations and told stories to himself.

The earthbender had a whole exercise routine; sit ups, push ups, pull ups if possible, stretches, the usual, before going through every earthbending form he knew. And he knew quite a few, having been trained by multiple teachers who were all, as he put it, 'Earth Rumble Champions', whatever that meant. Not even that tired him out, after that he went through his non-bending combat moves. Footwork, punches, kicks, He practiced it all.

Not that a morning practice was unusual for the Red Lotus. P'Li always woke early to practice her breathing exercises and some basic firebending forms, but Ghazan could easily spend hours on his daybreak exercises (habits from prison she guessed. Personally all she did now was make up life stories for everyone she saw. There were many pastry chefs).

Even though she wasn't a huge fan of mornings, Ming Hua often woke up just to watch Ghazan, and P'Li would make breakfast and join her after her firebending practice. Even though P'Li was in a relationship with Zaheer (Who despised mornings with a passion and could easily sleep until noon), the two women could both appreciate the view.

Ghazan truly was a feast for the eyes, and Ming Hua was forever grateful that he preferred to exercise shirtless.

A light layer of sweat added a sheen to his dark skin as he extended his arm in a punch. His muscles flexed as he withdrew, before spinning and practicing a hook kick, landing in a deep stance and lunging forward to deliver a vicious uppercut to his imagined opponent. His hair shone in the early morning light (how did it do that? Was it just really oily? Ming Hua didn't think it was, it felt soft), and he bared his teeth in a grin. It was pretty hot.

The earthbender turned and gave Ming Hua a lovely view of his back. The dark tattoos on his body rippled in tandem with his muscles as he rolled forward and swung out his legs in a leg sweep. He somehow managed to flip up onto his feet, jumping up for a hammerfist and landing in time to kick his left leg into a high roundhouse. He really was flexible. She could see that having a lot of useful potential- _No. Down girl,_ she berated herself before returning her attention to the morning show.

He stomped his foot on the ground to begin some complicated manuveres Ming Hua had seen many times before. They were manuveres of his own design, less rigid then traditional earthbending and more fluid, with a lot more jumping and flipping and even a handstand at one point. He used these manuveres for his lavabending, and their use was generally a sign that he had finished for the morning.

Ghazan extended his hand and held his final position for a moment, before pulling back and settling into a rest position. He grinned at Ming Hua as he walked towards the small fire P'Li was cooking their breakfast over.

He grabbed a cloth as he sat down, wiping the sweat off his face and hands. He smiled cockily at Ming Hua and leaned back slightly. It took all her concentration to look at his face. The smug idiot knew this and decided it would be an oppurtune time to stretch his arms towards the sky, flexing every muscle he had control over.

_You bastard, you gorgeous bastard,_ Ming Hua thought as she tried to stop the blush threatening to appear. _Think unsexy thoughts, unsexy thoughts. Don't think about his killer abs or his soft shiny perfect hair. No don't think about that at all. Damnit._

P'Li noticed this as well. "Ghazan, stop showing off and pour me some tea." She snapped, having turned her head away to check Zaheer's tent for any signs of life. Ghazan shrugged and leaned forward, grasping the hot metal and lifting it out of the flames.

The two women shared a look over the fire. That man knew damn well how attractive he was. It was unfair. P'Li stood and Ming Hua shifted her attention to watch the next bit of morning entertainment. She whistled and Ghazan finished pouring the tea. He sat back and grinned at Ming Hua, the both of them sitting across from Zaheer's tent.

P'Li glared at them. Ghazan smiled mischievously back. "Don't give us the 'it's not entertainment speech, we all know it is." The firebeder threw her arms into the air from frustration. The shirtless lavabeder laughed.

P'Li entered Zaheer's tent and Ghazan made small blocks rise to hold the flaps open. The combustionbender looked back at the two and sighed. They needed new hobbies.

The two in question looked at each other with mischievous glee (Ghazan) and calm amusement (Ming Hua), before returning their attention to the tent where they watched P'Li yell at Zaheer, who grumbled sleepily in response.

"Get up." P'Li pulled the blanket off her boyfriend, who groaned and buried his face into his pillow.

"No, go 'way." The normally eloquent and clever leader mumbled like a five year old, waving a hand feebly in an attempt to make his girlfriend leave. Why did the rest of them love waking up early so much? The morning is evil.

"Get up right now, Zaheer." This was a low growl as P'Li tried to tug his pillow from below his head.

"But I'm sleeping!" The last word was stretched into a plaintitive whine as Zaheer stubbornly held on to the pillow.

"Are you talking right now?" P'Li was closing in for the kill. Ghazan and Ming Hua watched with bated breath even though they knew the outcome.

Zaheer was quiet for a moment, before answering suspiciously. "... Yes?"

"So if you are answering me right now," P'Li's voice was honey sweet, "then you're awake." She yanked his pillow from him and sent him tumbling onto the ground at her feet, her voice losing any semblance of sweetness and sharpening. "So get up right now and go eat your breakfast!" Zaheer rested his forehead on the cold ground. P'Li always won.

"... Yes, dear."

He emerged from the tent, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he was greeted by Ghazan's deep laugh and Ming Hua's snickering. The airbender sat down across from the two and glared half-heartedly as Ghazan put an arm around Ming Hua's shoulders and made a whip-cracking motion with his hand. This caused Ming Hua to chuckle and lean against him slightly before remembering the earthbender was still shirtless. She flushed the tiniest bit and sat up, creating her water arms from the bucket to grab a bowl for her breakfast. Ghazan pouted slightly, bringing to mind a baby deer dog someone had just kicked.

Zaheer waited eagerly for that moment when those two would just get on with it already so he could have vengence on Ghazan for all the teasing of him being 'completely whipped'. He picked up a bowl and let P'Li half fill it with a few baked vegetables and some rice, knowing that she'd give him anything she didn't want. Ming Hua took her portion next, she didn't eat much anyway. Then there was the face off between the earthbender and the firebender.

The two eventually came to an agreement to half all the remaining food between them. P'Li sat next to Zaheer, dropping cabbage and other assorted green food into his bowl. She hated green food as much as her boyfriend hated meat. Ghazan plowed through his breakfast, stealing from Ming Hua's bowl when she was too busy concentrating on picking up the food with a water tentacle.

He'd end up feeling a little guilty later for the confused look she wore when she looked into her bowl and saw less there then she originally thought, and he'd get her a honey roll or some wagashi or another kind of treat. Ming Hua had a sweet tooth.

P'Li finished eating before Ghazan, though it was a very close contest. The earthbender fake glared at her, the corners of his mouth twitching into a grin as he reached for Ming Hua's last piece of meat. She looked down and frowned.

A second later Ghazan stood and dashed off, swearing loudly. He shook his head, icy water dripping from his hair as he shivered. Ming Hua smirked, having dumped ice cold water over the lavabender, with bits of ice and slushy snow for added effect. The snow clumped the ends of Ghazan's dark hair together and ice stuck in his moustache while he unsuccessfully tried to blow it out, still cursing up a storm.

Zaheer had given up any semblance of remaining calm and collected by falling off his seat and laughing as he pounded the ground with a fist. P'Li was in hysterics, holding her stomach with both hands as she almost cried from laughing.

Ghazan glared at the three of them. "I hate all of you bastards." They grinned in response. He turned to Ming Hua. "Fuck you, Ming. That was cold."

She raised an eyebrow. "You needed it. You reek of sweat." Guilt began creeping in as she remembered why she shouldn't have done that.

Ghazan crossed his arms. "It's a masculine scent that comes from a good workout. And you like it." Ming Hua clenched her jaw, a proud look in her dark eyes as she met his gaze evenly. She forgot sometimes that he was as quick-witted as she was, with just as sharp a tongue. And, she grudgingly admitted, he wasn't exactly wrong.

P'Li wound her hand into Zaheer's, who had sat himself back on the bench and grabbed his tea. "What is it you always say to us Ghazan? 'Get a room'? You two should follow your own advice." She smirked, her amber eyes glittering with the promise of much teasing.

Ghazan sat down with a humph. Ming Hua sighed and bended the icy water off him. It was a low blow and something that she shouldn't have done. He grinned and laced his fingers behind his head as he apologised. "Sorry, Ming. And guess I do smell better now." Tension still radiated off him though as he watched her liquid appendages warily.

P'Li found it ironic that the lavabender was always the mediator in the group. He was an easygoing, playful sort (a good example was the mud wrestle he had started outside Zaofu. It had delayed their plans by a day but it was, in the mud-coated earthbender's words, 'completely worth it.'), only ever letting his temper flare when he was really, really pissed, or had water dumped all over him. P'Li figured that the boat must've been hellish for him. He was the only one who screamed in his sleep.

Ming Hua shrugged and muttered an apology, bringing peace back to the group. P'Li stood and began collecting the empty bowls, sitting them next to Ming Hua. Ming Hua barely even turned her head as she cleaned them.

When she had finished, P'Li packed away the bowls and watched her friends. Ghazan had slung his arm around Ming Hua again and was doing an over-the-top impression of a fussy nobleman who had visited his cell once. The nobleman apparently repeated himself a lot, fell in the ocean twice and made very weird hand gestures. it was amusing.

Ming Hua was leaning against the lavabender and had somehow procured a sweet bun (it happened all the time. P'Li honestly had no clue how she did it) and was munching happily on it. Her dark blue eyes shone with laughter as she smirked slightly, not letting a single chuckle escape. P'Li sat across from them, howling with glee at Ghazan's antics. Zaheer's head rested on her shoulder as he fell back asleep, snoring quietly. Ghazan was still neglecting to put a shirt on.

Thirteen years had passed, but some things never changed.

* * *

><p><strong>This was fun to write. I truly love the Red Lotus and I think there should be more fics about them. So here's my contribution. A collection of oneshots all about the Irregular Benders, The Anti-Team Avatar, the Fearsome Foursome, so on and so forth. Anything ranging from humor to angst.<strong>

**There are many things here that will be explained later, in other oneshots. As a warning, these oneshots are not connected. Unless I say they are. But still, some of them will be pure AU. You have been WARNED!**

**Please, tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you. See you next time!**

**I'm sorry about my crappy writing, if you have any tips on how to improve, please help me.**


	2. Earth- Ghazan's Story

"So... you're a lavabender?" Bolin asked. Ghazan nodded and buffed his knuckles on his chest.

"You got it." The older earthbender smirked. P'Li, who was seated next to him, rolled her eyes at his smugness.

Bolin's eyes sparkled with curiousity. "How'd you learn how to do something like that? Is it some sort of super awesome family secret that's been passed down to you from your parents or older sister? Was that one of the two out of three?" Ghazan's smile fell. P'Li glared at the younger earthbender.

"You don't talk about that." She snapped, looking ready to throw fire at him. A warm, calloused hand settled on her shoulder.

"Don't worry P'Li." Ghazan smiled. "The kid doesn't know. You can't fault him for that." Ghazan turned to the young earthbender. "You wanna know how I became a lavabender? It's a long and tragic story and I won't be telling you all of it." Zaheer looked back in confusion. Ghazan was willingly talking about his past? And he was sober?

"You are sober, right Ghazan?" The airbender had to ask.

"Yep." Ghazan replied. "Anyway, I come from a small mining town in the Earth Kingdom. My dad was an earthbender who fought in the hundred year war…"

* * *

><p>Ghazan's first memory is hugging his sister as the Dai Li agents walked by. They were scouting out the quickest route for the Earth Princess (her father would later die under misterious circumstances the moment she was of ruling age), so that when she was crowned she she could travel through all the villages in the Earth Kingdom as a show of good leadership and get back to her fancy-as-fuck palace before she died from overexposure to peasants.<p>

Ghazan only realised this later. At the time he was just hugging his older sister because the scary tall men were looking at him and it was really scary. His overprotective sister glared at the elite earthbenders. The Dai Li agents faces were unchanging, their calm, unfeeling expressions haunting Ghazan's dreams for weeks after.

Their mother ran out and ushered the two back in to the little cottage. Ghazan looked back at the two agents, and couldn't help but feel something in the pit of his stomach. (It was dread, he remembers now.)

* * *

><p>The entire family, his uncle, his cousins, his momma, his dad and his sister had all dressed in their cleanest nicest clothes and joined the rest of the village in the town square to welcome the newly crowned Earth Queen. Ghazan tugged on his collar from where he stood next to his sister. Their mother had tried to tame the wild hair that her youngest son sported, to no avail.<p>

The soldiers came first, setting up extra flags and making a large circle for the palaquin. The palaquin was flanked by Dai Li agents and was a shiny yellow with bright green curtains. It was made of more gold then the entire village could hope to make in a lifetime. The palaquin stopped in the centre of the village and the Earth Queen stepped out.

Ghazan's first thought was that she reminded him of the cat owls that roosted in the rafters of the small stable where his family kept their ostrich horse. She had yellow claws on the end of her fingers and the same scowly face. Ghazan giggled quietly for a moment before his sister hushed him.

Luckily the queen hadn't heard. The town mayor rushed forward and Ghazan stopped listening, prefering to look at the ground beneath his feet. He kicked at it, scuffing the toe of his shoes. He was so bored. The Queen was the same; she kept looking around with a grimace.

It took what felt like days before the queen's advisor and the mayor stopped talking, and the crowd bowed to the queen before dispersing. Ghazan's father had been called up to thank him for fighting in the war effort against the Fire Nation. All Ghazan could see about that was that it took his family longer to leave. Eventually they went home to their farm, his dad lifting him onto his shoulders.

"Dad?" He asked, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "Why did we have to bow to the cat owl lady?" His sister laughed as his uncle exchanged a worried glance with his mother.

"Doesn't deserve to be bowed to." He sniffed. "I met King Kuei once, after Firelord Zuko was crowned. A good man, that king. He chose to live amoung his people and things were the best they'd ever been. Now his daughter's in charge and I've heard she's a b-"

"Haru!" Momma cut dad off. "No swearing in front of children." The earthbender adjusted his green headband.

"I fought in the war for this kingdom, I invaded the Fire Nation, and I fought alongside Avatar Aang himself." He stroked his moustache. "Funny how things worked out, right love."

His uncle lifted him off his dad's shoulders and put Ghazan on the ground, crouching in front of the boy. "She is the Earth Queen, Ghazan. Never call her anything different. Ignore Haru." The five year old nodded as his dad muttered angrily. _Why was it such a big deal anyway?_ (Ghazan looks back and feels nothing but cold at the memory)

It turned out that it was a big deal after all. He should've mentioned the Dai Li agent he had seen walking behind them before disappearing.

* * *

><p>His mother shoved them under the bed as footsteps echoed in the hall. The door slammed open, Earth Kingdom soldiers filtering into the room. One of them raised a sword to his mother's throat. Jiann squeezed her eyes shut, Ghazan couldn't close his, it was too terrifying.<p>

"Her majesty, the Earth Queen Hou-ting, ruler of the Earth Kingdom, has decreed you and your family to die." The soldier sounded sorrowful as he spoke.

Ghazan's mother stared at the soldier; tears running down her cheeks. Her voice was strong and unwavering in spite of this. "Why has this been decreed? We have done nothng to offend her majesty." The soldiers hand shook and his sword dropped slightly.

The second soldier shoved him aside and slashed the peasant's throat. "Her majesty did not feel the correct amount of respect and deference was shown to her. Your family is an example so that this pathetic town can do better next time." With that he turned to scan the room. Ghazan didn't move, didn't breathe, as he met the eyes of the person who just killed his mother.

The eyes were unlike anything the child had ever seen; one was a bright amber brown, the other a dark green. But they were cold and dead, a corpse's eyes.

Haru broke through the wall and knocked the soldiers through another one. He saw his wife's dead body and screamed his children's names. The two siblings scrambled out from under the bed and latched themselves onto his legs.

The earthbender placed his son on his shoulders as he scooped up his daughter, running into the mountains near their home. He heard footsteps behind them and created a large cloud of dust to confuse their pursuers. There were too many.

He placed them on the ground and looked the two children in the eye. "Look after each other. Promise me that." The two nodded, Jian grabbing Ghazan's hand. Their hazel eyes, so like their mother's, were filled with fear and grief. Haru smiled at them. "Run, and keep running. Go as far as you can, okay?"

Jian wore a look of determination as she pulled her brother with her. Haru looked back at his two children. They had already seen their mother die, they didn't need to see their couins being lined up and decapitated as well. Ghazan stumbled a few times and wiped his eyes. He watched as his dad condensed the dust cloud he had created as he held off the soldiers.

The children kept their eyes forward, even as the yell filled the air. Tears glistened on their cheeks as they ran, trying to outrun the pain, the memories that would eternally haunt them.

* * *

><p>Jian stumbled into the alleyway that had been their home for months, a funny and familiar smell in the air. Ghazan hated it. He hated the fact that his family was dead. He hated the fact that his sister looked as boney as he did. He hated stealing too. It stopped other people from smiling, so it wasn't nice.<p>

He studied the small amount of food he had managed to get. He wasn't averse to pawing in garbage. But sometimes he had to pinch something off a cart. He had gotten lucky today, a half-eaten bread roll, a few pieces of dried fruit, and a small wagashi. What a feast. He had gotten the wagashi for his sister off a travelling merchant who had been looking the other way, thankfully. It was the first time she'd ever been arrested by soldiers, so she needed something to make her feel better.

He ran up to her as she limped slowly towards him. He reached her just as she collapsed, her weight dragging his young body onto the ground. Her thin frame shook with heaving sobs as she clutched at his shirt. Ghazan awkwardly rubbed her back as her gasps died down to small whimpers.

Tears streaked her cheeks as she raised her head from his shoulder. Ghazan was at a loss for what to do. The boy's hands hovered over her shoulders, not willing to make the situation worse. "Jian? What happened?" He realised what the smell was.

Blood. His sister was bleeding. He rested his hands on her frail shoulders. "Where are you hurt?" They had been injured before, a scrape, a twisted ankle while running, bruises from fighting over scraps, but never anything that caused the amount of blood staining his sister's skirt.

His sister wasn't listening. Jian was trapped in the throes of a waking nightmare, her mind still stuck in the prison. Ghazan grabbed the wagashi he had brought her. "Jian?" He asked timidly. What had they done to her? She had been muttering under her breath. He leaned in slightly to hear her.

Jian's hazel eyes stared into the distance. "I said no. But he didn't- he threw coins at me." Her voice was a whisper of pain. "I told him to stop, I said no." She went quiet. Her eyes locked with his, awareness returning to them. "Ghazan?"

Ghazan nodded his head, "Yeah, Jian?" She shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She stood and walked towards the small nest of blankets they shared. Ghazan watched her go, his head cocked to the side. _Sorry for what?_

* * *

><p>Ghazan waited in the small cave that he and his sister had been living in for the past few days. They had been kicked out of their alleyway by some older earthbending thugs. This cave would have to be their new home. His sister had gone into town again. She went in every night now. It had been a month since she was arrested and she had found another way to get money. She wouldn't tell Ghazan what she did, only that it made her sad.<p>

Jian was always sad. She never smiled now. She only cried. So Ghazan smiled for both of them. He smile faded slightly when he saw the figure walking towards him. He was used to the routine.

Jian stepped into the tunnel, emptied the coins from her small bag and added it to their stash. She stood and walked to the small pile of makeshift blankets the siblings shared. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes. She sat and her shoulders shook, soft sobs filling the small cave. Ghazan knew his role. He sat down next to his older sister and pulled her into a hug. When ever she came back from town, her hair was always damp, like she had gone for a swim.

He had asked her about it once; she had told him that it was none of his business. Ghazan figured that if it caused his sister to wake up screaming in the dark and break down into tears every time she came back from town, it was Ghazan's business.

His sister knuckled her eyes and looked at her brother. "I'm alright now Ghazan. I got enough money tonight so I shouldn't have to go in tomorrow." Ghazan nodded. He had some news too.

"I went exploring in the caves again today." Jian glared at him. She had made him promise not to go too deep into the caves without him. "It seemed different somehow. I think the cave's changing itself."

Jian rolled her eyes. She didn't care too much for her little brother's daydreams. She used to play along with him, but her arrest changed that. Ghazan saw her glare. "I'm not lying." He pouted.

Jian lay down on their makeshift bed, pulling her brother close. "Listen, tomorrow we'll go into town and buy some food. Real food. How does that sound?" The best way to stop her brother pouting was to distract him. Ghazan grinned wide and nodded.

* * *

><p><em>I shouldn't be doing this.<em>

The thought echoed in his head as the bell rang. His opponent, a tall brown-haired boy, surged forward. Ghazan took the first hit in the jaw. He had tried to jump to the left, but he was weak from hunger and wasn't as fast as he wanted to be. It had been a glancing blow but it _hurt._

Ghazan stumbled, taking a clumsy kick to the side. He coughed and landed on the ground, earning another kick. He immediately rolled out of the way and shakily got to his feet.

_I really shouldn't be doing this. _

He stopped thinking about the roaring crowd and the pain radiating from his abdomen. He focused on his opponent, strategies running through his mind.

The taller boy lunged and Ghazan ran forward, jumping at the last moment to grab the taller boy around the neck and drag him down, kicking his chest. The taller boy was stunned for a moment, enough time for the black-haired boy to headbutt his nose and elbow his temple. The taller boy's eyes rolled back in his head as he became dead weight.

Ghazan kicked the limp form off him and realised the crowd had gone silent. The scrawny boy with the dark hair that no one had bet on had won. One person clapped, and the noise was suddenly deafening. One man walked forward and clapped Ghazan's shoulder, pushing him forward.

"A new fighter, ladies and gentlemen! And a scrappy one! What's your name, boy?"

Ghazan rubbed his side. If he kept fighting, he'd get money, but he'd also get hurt. So his sister would worry. But if he got money, she wouldn't cry anymore. He'd probably get better at fighting anyway.

"My name's Ghazan."

_I really should __**not**__ be doing this._

* * *

><p>Ghazan let out a grunt as he was knocked back into the wall. Why did he always end up in street fights like this? He'd been attacked loads of times outside the ring, it's like people subconciously decided, 'That one. That one can fight. Let's beat him up.' It was very annoying.<p>

He pushed his opponent away and took up a fighting stance, keeping his heel off the ground. His opponent threw a punch that Ghazan easily blocked. Four years of street fighting had made him a vicious but skilled fighter.

Ghazan circled, spotting a weakness in his foe's guard and delivering a roundhouse kick. He used the momentum of his kick to spin for a backfist that knocked his opponent to the ground. He stayed ready for if his foe decided to keep fighting. He was not ready for the good-sized rock to smash into him from behind.

Another person ran towards him, stomping the ground and sending rocks flying towards Ghazan. The fighter leaped out of the way, rolling forward and getting to his feet immediately. Obviously his fallen opponent had friends.

Spiks of earth rose from the ground to hit Ghazan, who lunged backwards just in time. Shit, he thought. He was good at close quarters; he couldn't bend like this guy. He was screwed. A small block of earth rose behind his feet, tripping him up. A boulder flew towards him.

Ghazan couldn't do anything but cross his forearms in front of his face, trying to protect his eyes. Nothing hit him. He cracked open one eye and laughed.

A wall of earth was in front of him. Someone was obviously looking out for him. He stood and moved out from the behind the earth. Something was strange. He felt something in the stone around him, could feel it shift, could feel the second attacker's control over it. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before.

_Am I?_ He thought. _Could I be?_ He sometimes watched the earthbenders fighting each other after the bare knuckle fights were over. Ghazan concentrated and stomped his foot, focusing on the rocks the second attacker had sent flying at him. _Break. I want them to break._

He punched the rocks when they reached him, the earth crumbling easily. He smiled savagely at his two opponents. "Oh yeah."

He kicked his leg in a high roundhouse, willing the earth to follow. Spikes erupted from the ground, knocking both his opponents off their feet. Ghazan immediately leapt on the earthbender, pummeling him and knocking him out. The first opponent groaned and tried to stand. The child stuck out his tongue and raised his hands, making the rock encase the man's hands and feet.

Earthbending. He was an earthbender. Great. The earthbending fighters were always paid more.

Ghazan stood, wiping the blood from his face. A dull throb reminded him that he had been hit in the face. _Damn, probably a broken nose._ He walked away from the scene of the fight as quickly as he could, gingerly prodding it. _Ow. Definitely broken._

He left the small village and swore loudly as he reset his nose. He stopped by the small stream and debated throwing cold water on it.

After weighing the pros and cons, the child shook his head and walked away. He was never going near water ever again. (He laughs later, surrounded by the ocean. It's a laugh born of terror from the large waves that slap the side of the boat, sending him stumbling.)

* * *

><p>"Ghazan, look out!" Jian yelled. Ghazan stepped to the left and ducked instantly, barely missing the chair that came down where his head used to be. Chair. He was not joking.<p>

"Why did we come in here again?" He asked Jian. His sister glared at him.

"I told you not to come in at all." She stabbed a shard of glass into the hand of a man who grabbed for her. "You're eleven. You shouldn't be in a bar." The teenager ducked at the same time as her brother when another chair was used as a weapon, being thrown over their heads and shattering against the far wall.

Ghazan grabbed her arm and helped her stand, experience from street fights reminding him that someone on the ground ended up with their guts kicked in. "Neither should you." He reminded her as they hurriedly scampered between the conscious brawlers, who had forgotten why the fight had started and were just fighting for the hell of it.

The two street urchins made it out of the bar and ducked into the nearest alley, Ghazan bending an underground tunnel for them to leave in. Jian scrunched her nose. "I didn't go in for a drink anyway." Ghazan nodded as he pushed the earth aside.

"Yeah, yeah." The earthbender looked back over his shoulder before remembering she couldn't see him. "That still doesn't mean I should have to wait outside. I go where you go, get dragged into your fights." He swore as his sister cuffed the back of his head.

She hit him again, "One, I do not drag you into fights, you're the one that starts them." Her brother snorted. "And two, where did you learn that language?"

Ghazan shrugged. "One, I fight to protect you." He mimicked his sister's voice. "And two, Earth Rumble teaches me more then bending skills." He ducked the incoming slap, grinning widely, knowing she couldn't see it.

"Ugh." She stamped her foot. "You are such a child. I don't need protecting." Ghazan's laugh irritated her more.

He pulled the earth to the side, opening into the caverns they called home. They could see here, it was still dark but they could see. The boy faced his sister, the wild grin stuck to his face. "I'm eleven, sis. I'm meant to be a kid." The two shared a smaller, sadder smile at that. Ghazan's smile dropped entirely.

"You do need protecting. Everyone talks about you in the rings." His liquid hazel eyes looked deep into her guarded eyes. "They say bad things about you, and I beat them harder then normal the next time I trounce them. I know that other people say the same things, and try to hurt you for it, so I have to protect you." Jian walked forward and tilted his head up. He was growing everyday. She was taller then him now, but that probably wouldn't last.

She knew one day she'd have to explain her job to him, but it seemed that the decision was taken out of her hands. The girl wished that he didn't go to that Earth Rumble, or the nonbending fight rings, but he did. For the same reason that she went out each night and stood on a corner in the village. They needed the money, they needed to survive.

She knew he hated this life. She did too. She hated seeing her baby brother come home, skinny and bloody and battered, with bruises and broken bones because he had to destroy himself in front of a crowd.

Jian took her sleeve and wiped some blood from his cheek. It wasn't his, for once.

* * *

><p>The boy rubbed at his face, grimacing when he saw the blood leaking sluggishly from his split lip. Shit. His sister screamed. One of the bandits attacking them had pinned her against the wall, another one holding a knife threateningly over her rounded stomach.<p>

The young earthbender stomped the ground in their direction, sending sharp jagged spikes their way. They had tried to hurt his sister. He raised his hands and encased them fully in rock. The boy ran to his siter's side, offering an arm for her to take.

"We gotta go, Jian." She nodded, one of her hands taking his arm while the other curved protectively over her stomach. He felt the shards of rock leaving his control, leaving the ground. He pivoted and reached out, the shards falling back under his command as he spun them around between his hands. A display of power while he picked the next target. He'd had enough of this shit.

There was a collective gasp emitted from everyone in the vicinity. The earth had changed. It wasn't the solid, sturdy rock that he had grown accustomed to, it felt different. It pulsed in time with his heartbeat and heat radiated off it. The boy looked down himself, watched the spinning earth glow and liquify, the dark rock melting into the fiery orange lava.

The boy bared his teeth and threw the shruiken towards the bandits. They ran screaming. He lost control of the molten rock and it fell back to the ground. Ghazan raised his hands and jumped happily. "Woo! Yeah! Did you see that, Jian? That was lava!"

His sister glanced warily at the puddle of burning earth bubbling away innocently in the middle of the road. "I thought only the Avatar could lavabend."

Ghazan scratched the back of his head. "I thought I wasn't an earthbender, I thought I could have grown a moustache by now, I thought Dad would live forever, I'm certain mom thought you wouldn't be a teen mother." He ducked the swipe and held up his hands. "What? I'm just saying that what you thought might not be true." Jian stuck her tongue out at him as she put an arm around his shoulders.

"Shut up and help me home." Ghazan nodded, looking back at the molten rock. There was something he'd have to practice.

* * *

><p>The molten rock followed his movements, utterly in tune with his every hand motion. He had been practicing for months, getting himself used to the heat of the lava. He had discovered that lava was hard to control, it loved to be earth, loved not being earth. It was full of contradictions.<p>

Lavabending needed a strong grounded stance that at the same time was light and quick, very agile. When he had that stance, he'd practice techniques to help augment that. There wasn't exactly a school for lavabenders he could go to, so he improvised mostly.

He had been so focused on perfecting a new idea of his that he'd lost track of time. The idea involved creating lava without the use of friction between rocks. He was starting to get the hang of it. He could heat small rocks, but he wanted to do something bigger. It was pretty difficult, needed a hell of a lot of willpower. He cooled the lava that he had already created and decided to try again.

He focused and was rewarded with a wave of red consuming the earth the earth surrounding him, a moat of lava that was purely his to control. The dark sky glistened with stars as the young lavabender made pillars of molten rock rise from his lake.

Ghazan held a bubble of the glowing lava in front of him, entranced by the swirling colours. Lava was beautiful, it really was. Powerful too. Ghazan was always awed by his ability. His sister was less happy about it, telling him that he could only practice outside, where Min couldn't reach him. Min had just started walking and wouldn't stay still at all. It was adorable and annoying and made Ghazan feel as warm as the lava he made. Jian had laughed and told him that he was more protective then she was, like a platypus bear with her cubs.

The high scream made his blood run cold, the abrupt way it was cut off made him feel like he swallowed a weasel snake.

He turned and lost control of the lava, the splash it created searing his hip and thigh. The lavabender collapsed, sobbing with agony. His hands instinctively went to his leg, clutching at the lava as they went numb before the pain cleared slightly and he remembered to bend the lava off his body.

He tried to pull himself to his feet. He couldn't feel anything in his hands. Ghazan panicked and the ground heated under his feet, creating the same terrifying numbness in his hands.

He fell back to the ground, unable to support himself, the pain almost knocking him out. He wanted to vomit when the black spots left his vision.

The remnants of a small body were being burned by the liquid earth. Ghazan tried to reach for her, automatically cooling the lava, but he jostled his leg and blacked out from the pure, undiluted pain that radiated from his hip.

He woke up a minute later to the screams of his sister, standing over the few remnants of a charred skeleton. Min. _What have I done? _He yelledas the burn made itself known. Jian rushed over and tried to pick him up. He gritted his teeth and tears leaked from his eyes as he pushed himself off the ground. "I'm sorry," he muttered while Jian steadied him. _I'm never lavabending again._

Jian slung his arm around her shoulder as she half carried, half dragged him to the village, 'I'm sorry' tumbling from his mouth endlessly. There had to be someone who could help. There was that man in blue who performed miracles; Jian had seen a boy with a broken leg run happily out the door. The door that had a crescent moon on it.

Jian found the door and quickly picked the lock, not caring that it was the middle of the night. Ghazan was leaning against the wall, his face scrunched up as he tried to stave off the pain. Jian pushed the door open. "Hello?" She asked the silent darkness. "My brother, he needs help."

There was the sound of someone moving upstairs and a man appeared, carrying a lantern. "What's the matter?" Jian helped Ghazan in through the door and the young man saw the damage done to his hands and hip. "By Tui and La…" He breathed out, his blue eyes widening. "Come this way. Quickly, quickly."

Jian helped move Ghazan into the back room that the man was ushering them into. The Water Tribe man bustled about, lighting candles. "Get him into that water." Jian began pulling him near the water, Ghazan fighting her, shaking his head frantically.

"Um, sir?" Jian stated as the earthbender started panting from fear. "He doesn't like water." The waterbender looked up and saw the sweat plastering Ghazan's hair to his forehead, the laboured breathing. He picked up a small jar, crossed the room in a few strides and held the scented herbs under the boy's nose. Ghazan slumped as consciousness left him.

"My name is Koda." He introduced himself to Jian as they gently lowered the sleeping earthbender into the pool. "Sorry about that. I just don't want the damage to get much worse, other wise I might not be able to heal it." He sat beside the pool, moving his arms back and forth. The water glowed.

Jian nodded as she watched Ghazan's face and saw the tightness fade. "He's sustained some pretty nasty burns, but he should be mostly fine." Koda was talking again. The woman looked up. "He won't be walking for a few weeks, and he's probably never going to have any feeling in his hands or feet again, but he should be alright."

* * *

><p>His fist hits wood as he screams again. He's trapped, been trapped, doesn't know how long he's been in here, all he knows is that the tiny wooden box he's stuck in is <em>moving<em> and he has no fucking clue where he is.

The next time his fist hits the wood the skin splits and the scent of fresh blood fills the box. He hissed as he cradled his hand to his chest. Now both his arms were injured. He has no idea what he's done to his shoulder. It's probably dislocated, but its pitch black in here and it could easily be broken. He can't really tell, it just aches.

Ghazan gingerly sat down, trying not to jostle his shoulder. He bumped it slightly and the jolt of razor sharp pain makes him swear loudly. No one can hear him or they just don't care about the teenage earthbender in a wooden box. He knows that its wood, no one tried to hold earthbenders in metal anymore.

It's not the first time he's been captured. It took a long time for Jian to even look at him after Min, but she eventually sorta forgave him. Well, she began looking at him again. It was mainly because of a plague that swept through the Earth Kingdom. Ghazan had gotten it off of one of the other fighters who had actually bitten him. Who the fuck does that? Jian had gotten him to the Healer and they had caught it in time. He had still been unable to do anything for another few weeks.

Then Jian got sick. And Ghazan had turned into a mama platypus bear. But Jian was fine now, just weak. Pregnancy and plague weren't a good mix. But it had all been fine and Huan was a healthy child and life was good.

Ghazan laughed sadly. He was kidding himself. Jian could barely stand for more then a few hours. She was getting better, but the fight rings weren't exactly happy with Ghazan. He was supposed to win. He'd lost them a lot of money. He was banned now.

He didn't want to be a thief. Earthbenders weren't meant for subtlety. He had gotten caught as much as he had gotten away with it. Jail wasn't so bad. Breaking out was easy if they didn't know you were an earthbender. Plus, he got some really badass tattoos out of it.

Ghazan swore as his box went over a rock or something in the road. Was he being taken somewhere to die? He didn't mean to. It was an accident. He was just hurt and scared and his shoulder had just been hit and it was agonising. He hadn't lavabended since Min. He hadn't wanted to.

The soldier's screams had been over mercifully quickly. Ghazan had been knocked unconscious very fast after that. The last thing he saw was Jian's face in the crowd as everything went black.

At some point he falls asleep. He wakes up to find his shoulder no longer hurts. He attacks the side of the box again for hours and eventually tires himself out again. There's a small bit of food and some water when he next wakes up. He's grateful, and demolishes the tiny meal in about ten seconds. He kicks at the woood again.

After what feels like days of the same routine his box stopped moving. The wall he was leaning against swung open and he tumbled out, landing ungracefully on a hard floor. There was a dark green robe in front of him, which led up to a stern, emotionless face under a wide conical hat. Dai Li. He was in Ba Sing Se. _Fuck my life._

There was another man there, the sixteen year old's head whipped around and he bared his teeth at the man speaking. "Saw it myself with my own two eyes. Lava. I swear it." The Dai Li was silent as he handed a small bag over to the cart driver.

Ghazan was pulled to his feet by soldiers and marched through the Upper Ring to the Earth Palace, his hands chained in front of him. Ghazan zoned out. They were taking him to the Earth Queen. The woman who ordered his family to be killed, who starved her subjects and let them die in plagues or be forced to pay for food with their body. Hatred flowed through his veins, giving him some strength.

The palace was gaudy and flashy and reeked of wealth. Finally, they reached the throne room. A woman sat with a look of disdain twisting her features, gold and jewels hanging off of her. Her royal majesty. Ghazan's dark hazel eyes narrowed into a glare. When it was clear he wouldn't bow he was forced to his knees by the soldiers of the royal guard.

The Dai Li agent that had talked to the cart driver was speaking. Ghazan wasn't listening or caring, he was waiting for the right moment to strike. He couldn't move his arms, but maybe if the soldiers relaxed their grip enough…

The Earth Queen stared down her nose at him. "Are you certain this peasant is able to bend lava?" The Dai Li was taken aback, the soldiers were stunned. Their hands were loose on his shoulders. Ghazan didn't think about the fact that he would be absolutely fine if he pretended to be a nonbender, all he thought about was getting revenge for his family and killing the high class bitch in front of him.

A small part of him was horrified at this.

Ghazan shook the royal guard off and threw a kick towards the monarch. The rock flew from the hands of the Dai Li agent, reforming into a jet of lava from Ghazan's fury. A pair of rock gloves seized the Queen and pulled her from the path of Ghazan's attack as Ghazan was pinned to the ground and crushed by the soldiers. The molten earth burned through the ruler's throne as she was placed gently on the ground.

She pointed a bony finger at the pinned teenager. "YOU DARE ATTACK YOUR QUEEN?" She thundered, her head ornament askew.

Ghazan couldn't move, could only do one thing. He was going to die anyway, may as well go out in style. "Didn't attack you, miss." He gave her the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster, lying through his bared teeth. He was roughly tugged back to his knees, his shoulder being dislocated again, saw the comical look of fury plastered across her face and began to laugh.

A fist sent his head snapping to the side. A rock fist. He was lucky his jaw hadn't broken. His ears were ringing from the blow, he could see the Earth Queen screaming at him, ordering something. The soldiers holding him stepped back and Ghazan had just enough time to curse the Queen before the ground swallowed him whole.

* * *

><p><em>Once again I'm trapped in a wooden box. <em>Ghazan mused. _This seems to be becoming a new habit of mine. What's next? Trapped in a box at sea? _Ghazan shuddered at the thought_. That would be so much_ _**fun.**_ He thought sarcastically.

He was pretty certain that this time, he had been in here for almost a day, because no less then seven different Dai Li agents had checked on him in his little cell every three hours or so. Probably.

He missed the other box. There had been some changes in brightness at least. There was only one kind of light in this cell. The absence of it. Ghazan couldn't even see his nose if he crossed his eyes. He tried not to move as much as possible, because his shoulder was dislocated a-fucking-gain and no one was going to help him out this time.

He knows why he's in here. He's heard stories of the Joo Dees and of Lake Laogai, everyone in the Earth Kingdom has. Except it's a generally accepted fact that they are not stories. Will that be his fate? Is he simply going to be stuck in this tiny box until they think he's ready for having his will stolen from him and he becomes one of the Earth Queen's puppets? He should feel shocked or horrified at this, but the most he can get is some dull surprise. And that's really pushing it.

He's never believed in Spirits. Never in his life. He's a complete freak for that. Everyone thinks Spirits exist. Just not Ghazan. But after the sixth time the slide on the door opens and a pair of cold eyes stare in for a moment before the young bender is left in darkness, Ghazan tries to remember a long-forgotten prayer or something. Anything to get him out of here. He doesn't want to be a mindless drone.

It's a week before something happens.

The slit in the door slides open and it's the wrong time. Ghazan doesn't bother looking up. He's close, he's _so_ close to giving in and he thinks he feels a small bit of fear at that knowledge. He's been starved, deprived of light, and his shoulder hurts. Some water is given to him every eight guard shifts but it's not _enough_. His stomach will probably start eating itself soon.

The door opens and his heart stops. They know. They know he's about to break and they are going to brainwash him and take away everything that is him until he's just an empty shell for them to stuff their ideals in. He squeezes his eyes shut. He's too weak to fight someone off right now.

The hands on his shoulders are light and not the tight painful grip he expected. He blinks open his eyes and looks through his ratty, greasy hair at a face which is definitely not Dai Li. There's no stupid hat.

_I've gone mad._ He thinks, far too calmly. _Yes. That's the only explanation for this._

His hallucination gently pulled him to his feet and Ghazan blinks and squints from too much light. It's almost painful and he realises that all it is is a small lantern on the wall. He can actually move now. There's some space. His hallucination prods his shoulder and is visibly startled by the curse that explodes out of the dark-skinned male.

This is not some weird hunger vision. Ghazan grins. He realised belatedly that he's been caught up in his own thoughts and has completely missed the fact that his not-a-hallucination has been speaking to him the entire time. "What?" He asked.

The man glared at him. "I said, my name's Zaheer and I'm here to get you out. Would you like me to reset your shoulder?" Ghazan nodded and gritted his teeth. He swore again anyway when the joint was popped back into place.

Zaheer showed him the way out of the palace and grabed his arm right before Ghazan left. "Hold on. I heard you were in there because you tried to kill the Queen. Is that true?" Ghazan nodded.

"I guess. I destroyed her throne."

Zaheer smiled and it screamed 'Do not trust'. Or that's just him being pessimistic. "So you're not a fan of corrupt authorities? What's your opinion on anarchy?"

Ghazan shrugged, "What's anarchy?"

Zaheer smiled. "Well, I for example, am part of a special group known as the Red Lotus, and we seek to demolish all established authority and bring chaos. We could use an earthbender like you. I assume you are an earthbender?"

Ghazan laughed. "Listen, that sounds great and all, but I have other plans. And I didn't understand about a third of that sentence so I'm gonna pass. See you 'round." He turned away and waved over his shoulder.

Zaheer grabbed him again. Ghazan may have been taller but he still had yet to bulk out, Zaheer had an advantage on him and Ghazan really didn't want to fight right now.

"You want the Earth Queen dead, that's part of the plan. Everyone you know most likely thinks you're dead. You'll be a man on the run for the rest of your life for trying to assassinate a monarch. You're weak and hungry right now, and I can offer you protection."

Fuck. He was right. There was also the fact that Ghazan had never seen a map in his life and had no clue where his home actually was. But he could probably find it. He'd manage fine on his own.

"I also broke you out of the cell and saved you from being reprogrammed. You owe me a debt." And that was the final nail in Ghazan's coffin. Backing out on a debt was not a good thing to do. It was as bad as murder in the eyes of every Earth Kingdom citizen. Your word was your law, and all debts must be repaid.

"Fine. But just until I don't owe you anymore." Zaheer offered his hand. Ghazan cursed quietly as he spat in his hand and signed over his freedom. Zaheer's disgusted face was almost worth it. But there was no going back now. "My name is Ghazan."

_I'm sorry Jian. I won't be coming home for a while._

* * *

><p><strong>So we go from fluff and funtimes to a backstory of angst. Ghazan is my favourite character in Legend of Korra and I really hope I've done him justice.<strong>

**Yes, his dad in this is Haru. Why? Because they both have awesome moustaches, long hair, similar skin colours and are earthbenders. That's enough for me. And no, he doesn't live in Gaoling. There's probably more then one Earth Rumble out there. **

**The Red Lotus probably had shit lives. They want to throw the world into chaos and murder people. That doesn't strike me as the outcome of a good life.**

**So please tell me what you think of this, and if you have any tips or critiques do tell. Updates will be sporadic but I will try to upload at least every week. It may vary due to school. But I will try.**

**I also accept suggestions and headcanons. It might be a while before I get around to them but they will come. At some point. **


	3. Romance is Hard

He followed the firebender to a small clearing away from the campsite. He hadn't been with this group long, but from what he could see, she was the youngest apart from him and the most dangerous, apart from him. She was a sniper who could blow a hole in a wall with a flick of her eyes. Not someone to cross.

He made sure he was a good enough distance away in case she shot at him from her third-eye-chakra-thingy. He wanted to have the oppurtunity to dodge. She turned around and looked him in the eye.

Shit. Were they going to fight? He's been holding back with his lavabending, he'd probably be able to throw her off her guard and get the hell away. He knew he shouldn't have done a deal with the guru fanboy. The lavabender subtly took control of all the earth in his range. He wasn't dying today.

P'Li opened her mouth to speak. _Okay, be ready. Be ready._

"Ghazan, I need your help."

Ghazan immediately relaxed. He stil had control of the earth but he was less likely to use it. "Help?" He smiled. "With what?"

The bushes rustled as Ming Hua and Zaheer dropped by to eavesdrop on the two. He was suddenly very aware of the warmth that had flung itself into his chest and was kissing him passionately. His brain slowed to a halt. What the fucking what?

Somewhere to his let he could here more bushes rustling as the nosey spies beat a hasty retreat and leaving Ghazan to his doom. This firebender was crazy. His calloused hands settled on her shoulders as he pushed her off him. Her amber eyes looked into his with mischievous delight, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"That was perfect timing." The tall combustionbender giggled. _What am I missing?_

"P'Li. What the hell was that?"

"That's what I need your help with." _Um… _"See, I love Zaheer, and I know he likes me too, but he's a little shy. So I need your help to make him jealous." That made more sense.

The earthbender looked up at her while she glowed with satisfication at her cunning. "So you're using me?" P'Li nodded. Ghazan crossed his arms over his chest in a show of defiance. "And what if I don't want to help?"

P'Li's happy demeanor vanished instantly. Her eyes were cold as metal and her face was stone. The fact that she towered over _him_ made her look very intimidating. "If you don't, I'll ask Ming Hua to force you into swimming lessons."

Ghazan stepped back slightly. That was a terrifying prospect. He knew and she knew that Ming Hua would not go easy on him. The mini-waterbender also had no clue of Ghazan's issues with her element. He thought he'd kept it under wraps but apparently P'Li was not fooled.

Damn. P'Li would do it.

Ghazan huffed. "Okay, I'll be your pretend boyfriend. But the moment Zaheer mans up, this ends." He suddenly found himself unable to see due to being crushed in the embrace of a happy combustionbender who was thanking him profusely and cutting off his oxygen supply.

* * *

><p>Zaheer glared at them from the other side of the small campfire. Well, not them, just Ghazan. Ever since the two had kissed in the clearing, Zaheer had decided that the young lavabender was to be hated. Life had not been fun for said lavabender. Zaheer was a master of pranks.<p>

P'Li nuzzled into his shoulder and he put an arm around her to pull her closer, grinning widely at Zaheer. _Take it outta that, fanboy._ Ghazan thought smugly. _You cut off my hair, I'll make you pay._

"Ghazan?" P'Li ran her fingertips through his short hair. "Want to go for a walk?" Ghazan nodded. That was their code for discussing how the plan was going. He stood and offered a hand to the amazonian woman. P'Li took it and gracefully rose, towering over him.

They walked along a game trail until they deemed it to be a far enough distance away from the camp. Ghazan created a small rock wall for them to lean against. An orange flame appeared in the palm of the sniper's hand, flickering gently.

"It's going well." Ghazan stated, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back. "If we can take the death glares Zaheer sends me as a good thing." He laughed. She kicked his leg softly.

"Of course it's a good thing." She smirked. "It means we're getting to him."

Ghazan nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty certain now that he definitely likes you and not me, otherwise all your hair would be gone." The next kick to his shin was not soft. He cursed under his breath, rubbing the spot where her boot had hit bone. Damn. He'd be bruised tomorrow.

"Zaheer does not swing that way, Ghazan. We've been through this."

"I know, but some people are good at hiding it. One guy in Earth Rumble, you'd never peg him that way until you needed to wipe your brain clear after walking into the wrong hall."

"That bad?"

His raised eyebrow was confirmation enough. The two broke down into laughter. It was nice. Ghazan never had friends growing up, life of poverty and crime and all, and P'Li lost any social skills she may have had when she was abducted and forcibly tattooed. They were both awkward and that was probably why they got along so well.

Ever since they started pretend-dating, they'd been spending more time together. Just doing stuff that friends do, and on clear nights like this, they'd watch the sky. P'Li started to show him all her favourite constellations. Every once in a while he'd tell her an Earth Kingdom story to match her Fire Nation ones.

"So the fourth dragonbird chick is always exploring and seperated from the other three until there's no moon, then they reunite and you can see the full constellation of the dragonbird flying through the night sky." Her finger traced the four outlines of each chick, stopping on the lone one beyond the moon.

"Why would the chick wander off anyway?" Ghazan asked, tilting his head to the sky. "Family is important." P'Li looked at the young man. His eyes swam with sorrow and guilt as he stared at the sky. He was secretive, they all were, but he hadn't said a word about his life before he had tried to commit regicide.

"Family can hold you back. They turn on you right when you need them most." P'Li growled, hugging her knees to her chest. The stars were too bright now, too innocent. She couldn't look at them. She knew from experience that family stopped you from being free.

Ghazan glanced at her with shock. "But-"

"'Family' never helped any of us Ghazan!" She snapped at him. "Freedom is what matters. That is what we stand for."

"It's not what I stand for." There was the reason Ghazan was the outsider, the crux of the matter. He didn't care. He didn't care about the world. He just wanted to pay off a debt.

"You don't care, Ghazan!" She rose to her feet as she yelled, flames bursting to life from her clenched fists. "All you want is the Earth Queen dead. You don't care about the world or even your country, you just want the Queen dead and you won't tell us why!" They didn't trust him. They couldn't. He was powerful and she didn't know yet whether or not he would turn around and stab a knife in her back the moment a better oppurtunity arose.

He remained calm, but anger simmered in his eyes. He stood as well, not matching her height. "It's personal, P'Li. Sorry if I don't go blurting out my life story to the crazy group obsessed with murder." She swung a kick at him, heat erupting from her foot and flying towards the earthbender. His eyes widened as he instinctively held up his hands, stumbling backwards and tripping. There was a smell of scorched flesh in the air.

P'Li's temper fled her and her blood became ice when she saw the angry red burns on Ghazan's palms. She covered her mouth. "I am so sorry." She moved to help him somehow; maybe there were dragon flowers nearby. Her mother had taught her that dragon flower roots cured burns.

She couldn't see the glowing orange anywhere. What had she done? He groaned in pain.

"Ow. I think I hit my elbow." He was rubbing his elbow as he pushed himself up off the ground. Warm hands quickly forced him back to the ground.

"What are you doing? You can't use your hands, you're injured!" P'Li said frantically, trying to hold him down. He grabbed her wrists and held them. This made her look more panicked for some reason.

"P'Li. It's a scraped elbow. It's not going to kill me." He laughed. She appeared distracted from their fight. That was good. If those flames had hit him he'd probably be on the ground screaming in pain. P'Li looked scared shitless for some reason. He hadn't instinctively earthbended did he? Or worse, lavabended?

"Ghazan, look at your hands!" She was well into panic mode now. Her mother had told her that the worst burns didn't cause pain. The lavabender just looked confused. He looked at his palms, saw the burns and whistled.

"Damn. Guess you did get me after all P'li." He smirked slightly. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly. He let go of her wrists as he examined his wounds. She hit the back of his head.

He rubbed the spot where she struck him. "It's not that bad, don''t be so protective. It's second degree at most." Second degree? Second degree still meant agonising pain.

"If it's a second degree burn, you should be screaming in pain." She was now really clueless about the situation.

Ghazan looked at her. "Do you want me to?" She hit him again. "Sorry. Don't worry about it. I burned my hands once really bad. Destroyed all the nerves. Can't feel a thing anymore. Lucky for me that's where you got me." He held up his hands. "My feet are the same." He was smiling about this for some reason.

P'Li had given up trying to understand him. "And you're happy about this?" Ghazan shook his head.

"Do you want to know the story behind these? It's really sad, but I think that maybe I can trust you. Don't make me regret this." She shook her head. Ghazan scratched the back of his head, feeling nothing in his burnt palms. "Okay, so it all began when I found out I was a lavabender. There were these bandits attacking, see, and I was trying to protect my sister…."

* * *

><p>Boom. Another boulder was blown up.<p>

"You know, my dad told me a story about a combustionbender who blew a hole in a mountainside while he was hunting the avatar. Why can't you do that?"

The next shot curved to hit its mark. Rubble rained down on the ground.

"I mostly practiced my precision with my shots, not raw power. That's why I can curve my blasts."

A chunk of earth flew towards the sky and was dispatched immediately. Ghazan stomped his heel on the ground to pull up another rock. He sent it into the air with a lazy roundhouse. The earthbender was leaning against a small earth wall, one of his hands behind his head as he picked his teeth. "You're a damn fine cook, P'Li. I don't see what the others are complaining about."

P'Li laughed as she judged the target's arc, her next blast hitting the centre dead-on. Ghazan slapped his thigh in place of clapping. "It's apparently too spicy for them. Why didn't it bother you? It was a traditional Fire Nation dish."

Ghazan brushed his hair out of his eyes. It reached his chin now; it had finally grown out of that awful crewcut Zaheer had given him. "I've got a stomach made of iron, 'Li. And you know I'll eat everything put in front of me." Food was food, after all.

P'Li nodded in agreement. "It wasn't that spicy, was it?" Ghazan nodded.

"It kinda was. I almost didn't finish it. It was still delicious." P'Li chuckled.

"Glad to know you love my cooking." Ghazan grinned at her.

"Don't you know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Another boulder shot into the air. P'Li instinctively blasted it. Ghazan clapped.

"Impressive 'Li." He stood and stretched. "Wanna spar?" He asked. "I'll go easy on you." P'Li pushed his shoulder and smiled wide.

"No you won't." She replied. Ghazan didn't know the meaning of the words 'fair fight'. P'Li and Ming Hua relied almost exclusively on their bending and Zaheer had a moral code for hand-to-hand. Ghazan's only rules were that he wouldn't kill and he wouldn't bite. 'No lava' used to be one of those rules but the Red Lotus was steadily getting rid of that reluctance.

It had been a close fight, as usual. The only reason Ghazan had won was because he got close enough to sink her into the earth. She hit at the ground that enclosed her up to her waist, the flames doing nothing against the rock. This was a new trick. Ghazan just got more and more creative.

Ghazan snickered as he knelt in front of her, trusting in the hope that she wouldn't blast him at close range. He tapped her nose and was given a death glare. "Ghazan. Let me out." She growled. Ghazan nodded and offered her a hand. She took it and was pulled from the ground.

Ghazan tried to sling his arm over her shoulders as they walked back to camp. When that failed, he just put his arm around her waist. "Hey, P'Li?"

"Yeah?" She looked down at him.

"How much longer do you think it'll be before Zaheer blows his top at me?" He was getting sick of this lie. Ming Hua wasn't speaking to him and he really wanted to be able to talk to her without being looked at like he was something slimy and disgusting on the bottom of her shoe.

P'Li shrugged. "Hopefully soon. But I think its working. Can you hold out just a bit longer?" Ghazan nodded.

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it?"

* * *

><p>"Get out, get out, get out, get out!" P'Li pushed frantically at him. There was a thump as the man fell off the bed and landed on the floor. His hand searched the floor around him as he slowly raised his head.<p>

"Where are my pants?" He asked, earning a pillow to the back of the head. "Ow. Why were you in my bed?" He found his pants and hurriedly pulled them on. He looked around. This was not his tent. Did they stay at an inn last night or something?

"Hey, 'Li," the earthbender asked as he rose to his feet, stretching his arms to the sky and cracking his neck. "Do you remember anything, like what happened?" The Amazonian woman glared fiercely at him. She sat up in the bed, holding the thin sheet close to her chest. Her head was pounding from a hangover. She focused her chi and felt the throbbing gradually reside. Ghazan looked fine, lucky bastard.

"What the hell do you think happened?" She hissed furiously. "We wake up naked in a strange bed and we were both drinking last night. Connect the dots, idiot." The lavabender raised his hands and shook his head.

"Woah," he said sharply. "Calm down. I get it. Don't act all pissy."

P'Li shot fire at him, which he barely ducked. "Pissy?" Ghazan quailed under her ire. "Ghazan. We had sex. And we weren't supposed to. I'm in love with Zaheer, for fuck's sake! I can't sleep around like a common wh-"

Ghazan cut her off. "Finish that sentence and I'll punch you."

She looked away from his angry gaze. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl, I just prefer not to And the fanboy doesn't need to know." He ignored P'Li's mutter of 'don't call him that' and ran a hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly. "So I'm guessing this was a one-time thing?"

He earned another pillow to the face as the firebender dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. "Ghazan, do me a favour and shut up." She stood up to get dressed. Ghazan turned around to give her some privacy.

She quickly shoved her garments on and started tying her hair into a messy braid. The tall woman paced back and forth quickly, cursing quietly. Ghazan lay on the bed, pointedly ignoring the small bloodstain on the mattress, and was watching P'Li.

"You're going to wear the floor out if you keep that up." He stretched out again. "Stop freaking out. It's not that big a deal."

P'Li almost blasted him right then and there. "I'm freaking out because I just slept with my best friend! Shit, what if Zaheer finds out? Or Ming Hua? Do you not realise how wrong this is?"

The seventeen year old pouted. "Course I care. But on another note, I'm really your best friend?" P'Li growled.

"Focus, Ghazan. What are we going to say to them?" They would want to know where the youngest of the group was, and what they were doing. She saw that Ghazan was still looking at her with big, soft, hazel, puppy eyes and sighed. "Yes, you're my best friend." The dark-skinned man grinned, rolling onto his stomach.

"Great. You're my best friend too, 'Li." That brought an involuntary grin to her face. "I mean, we've been pretend-dating for weeks now which means Zaheer hates me, and Ming Hua thinks I'm an ass anyway, so yeah, you are my best friend." He sat up and grew serious. "Cover story. Uh… we got drunk and fell asleep."

P'Li raised a brow and sat down next to him. "Or we could say some people tried to mug us so we decided to play it safe and stay in town." He suggested. P'Li nodded in agreement with that. Ghazan smiled again before he tilted his head to the side.

"So… were you?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

P'Li's brows furrowed. "Was I what?"

Ghazan's cheeks turned a little red. "A, um, a virgin. I know it's kind of a big deal for girls."

"Oh." P'Li looked down at her lap. "I, uh, yeah. I was."

The earthbender smacked his forehead. "Shit. Sorry, P'Li. My bad." He placed a hand carefully on her shoulder. She let him.

"It's fine." She smiled slightly. "We should get back to the others." Her orange eyes flicked down for a moment. "Could you put a shirt on?"

Ghazan smirked. "And hide this?" He gestured at his hard stomach muscles. "Not a chance." She laughed as he stood anyway.

He offered a hand to her. "Are you sore?" He looked guilty. She realised that yes, she was quite sore. The combustionbender figured she just mustn't have noticed during her panic. She took the offered hand and rose to her feet slowly.

She watched as Ghazan pottered about, hunting for the fabric. "Remember, we tell no one of this. Not a soul. This stays between us."

Her worries disappeared when Ghazan laughed and nodded. The earthbender may act like a goofball, but he was very good at being serious.

"Do you wanna do this again sometime?" He joked as he pulled the shirt over his head. P'Li thumped his arm. She can't believe she just used the word 'serious' to describe Ghazan.

* * *

><p>Zaheer couldn't take it anymore. P'Li and Ghazan had been a couple for months now and it broke the nonbender's heart. He hadn't realised it, or maybe he had but was too terrified to think about it, but he truly loved P'Li. And even though he wanted her to be happy, he just couldn't stand by any longer.<p>

He didn't trust Ghazan. The teenager was smug and cocky and had no respect. He had seen the looks that the earthbender had sent Ming Hua when he first met her. The boy was probably just using P'Li to make her jealous. P'Li would get her heart torn in two. Zaheer didn't want that.

He'd been P'Li's friend for years, then that earthbender waltzed in and ruined everything. Zaheer had to do something, had to at least tell P'Li how he felt. He owed her that. But what could he say?

He and Ming Hua sat across from the couple, who were chatting about something and laughing. Ming Hua looked as awkward as he did. Zaheer thought long and hard every night about what he could say. He had plans, it was going to be perfect.

Then Ghazan smirked at him as he slung an arm around P'Li's shoulders before turning to her and saying. "You're beautiful, P'Li."

Zaheer glared at the fire. It reminded him of P'Li. Everything made him think of P'Li. "You don't deserve her." Zaheer muttered.

He didn't think Ghazan would be able to hear him. He was proven wrong when the earthbender's head shoot up. "What?" He asked, sitting taller as he met Zaheer's eyes.

Maybe he was feeling reckless, maybe he was feeling brave. Zaheer's fists clenched as he glared right at Ghazan and spoke louder. "You don't deserve P'Li." Ghazan smirked again. There was something about his eyes, like he was laughing at Zaheer.

The teenager leaned back and crossed his tattooed arms over his chest. "And what? You do?" Ghazan was more perceptive then Zaheer thought. Zaheer tried his best to hide his feelings for P'Li. She was looking in between the two males, and whispered something to Ghazan. He winked back at her.

Zaheer's eyes narrowed. "No." He spoke clearly, waiting to see the flash of surprise on the younger man's face. It didn't come. "P'Li is too good for me, and definitely too good for you." He stood up. "And you are just using her. I don't want to see you break her heart."

Ghazan stood as well, laughing heartily. "Have you ever thought that I'm with P'Li because I like her?"

Zaheer pointed at him. "P'Li doesn't need someone who 'likes' her, she deserves someone who loves her. I don't think you're capable of that. You' don't think of anyone but yourself, and you would use a beautiful girl and leave her in the dust just to get your way." He saw it then, the flash of anger that turned Ghazan's grin from friendly to menacing, showing just a few too many teeth.

P'Li saw this as well. "Hey, guys, I'm right here. Stop talking about me like I'm not." They ignored her. She shared a glance with Ming Hua, "Men." The waterbender rolled her eyes in agreement.

Ghazan was still stuck on Zaheer's earlier comment. "I _don't_ do that!" He snapped, flinging his arms out to the side. "I would never do that! That's just _wrong_! And sick!" His small tirade ended and an unsettling calm swept over him. "Why do you care so much?" He asked the non-bender, tilting his head as he studied the non-bender.

This threw Zaheer for a moment. His calm façade vanished for a second. "Uh…" Ghazan laughed again, a much more vicious and nasty laugh. He opened his mouth to taunt the older man some more. Zaheer lost his temper. "You want to know why I care? Because P'Li has been my friend for years, and I don't want to see you hurt her when you try to chase after Ming Hua like you want to."

Ghazan's mouth dropped slightly, but Zaheer hadn't finished yet.

"I care because P'Li is smart and beautiful and sweet and kind and powerful and perfect! She's the best person I've ever met and I love her!" His eyes widened as he realised he'd just told everyone about his feelings for the combustionbender. _How do I save this?_ "Eyes." He said weakly. "I love her eyes. They're really pretty." He inwardly kicked himself. He needed to shut up; he was not helping his case.

Ghazan was smiling again, crossing his arms again. Zaheer was not prepared by the next words that the teenager spoke. "Well, it's about damn time." _What._ The earthbender was chuckling, a real chuckle, not a mean one. "P'Li was starting to think I'd have to ask her hand in marriage or something before you finally grew a pair."

Zaheer's mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice. "What." Ming Hua had the same dumbfounded expression he did. Zaheer's confusion was increased tenfold when P'Li tackled him and planted a kiss on his lips.

Her amber eyes were bright with joy. "I love you too." She said. "Thank you Ghazan!" She called over her shoulder.

Ghazan smiled softly at her. "Helping people. It's what I do."

Ming Hua got over her shock and couldn't resist a chance to tease the earthbender. "Really? I thought you just pissed people off." She smirked wickedly.

Ghazan sat down next to her. "That is also what I do." He grinned. Zaheer finally realised he'd been tricked.

"What is going on? You two were _not_ a couple?" The firebender and the earthbender shook their heads. P'Li still had not stopped hugging him. Zaheer hesitantly returned it.

Ghazan decided to explain. "At first, I was as surprised as you. Then she blackmailed me into doing it. Then my life turned into one of those really corny romantic plays. You know, the ones were the girl and the guy are a couple, then they're not, then the girl leaves and the guy catches up to her and the girl realises that 'love was there all along'," His last sentence was done in his best impression of Ming Hua, who had first dragged him to one of those plays.

She kicked his leg. "Shut up idiot. That's a great play." The petite waterbender glared at him as P'Li and Zaheer laughed. Ghazan continued his story.

"Then we were a pretend couple and you made my life hell. Seriously, you do not touch my hair. New group rule. No touching my hair." P'Li rolled her eyes and kissed Zaheer again.

Ghazan looked over at them and made a disgusted face. "Great. Does this mean I'm going to be a third wheel?" P'Li raised her eyebrow at him.

"We're in a group of four." She stated. Ghazan shrugged.

"Knowing my luck, it'll somehow happen." P'Li ignored him and pulled Zaheer in for another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>And here we go. This was mostly just me thinking that Ghazan and P'Li would totally be good friends. Then I wondered how it would happen. Then my friends made me watch a chick flick, then this idea came to me. So enjoy. I cannot remember what the chick flick was.<strong>

**Next up is a halloween-themed oneshot with a bit of Mingzan for all the shippers out there. You're welcome. See you next week.**


	4. They call us monsters for a reason

The moon hung low in the sky, a thin crescent. Ming Hua's steps were near-silent on the ground as she crept past P'Li and Zaheer's tent. Ghazan was asleep on the ground near her tent, lying on his bare stomach. His ears twitched as she passed, not enough for her to notice.

He waited for the witch to slip into her tent before he opened his eyes, light reflecting off the irises. He raised his head from his crossed arms and sniffed the air, his lip curling. Ugh. Ming Hua had the scent of another man on her. Smelt like she slept with him too.

The thought had his ears pinned to his head, a low growl rumbling from his chest. The earthbender rose into a crouch and followed the scent trail Ming Hua had left, not feeling the need to rise to two legs.

He tracked the scent into the village and waited on a rooftop outside the tavern her scent trail went into. His tail flicked in anticipation as his claws unsheathed. A man drunkenly stumbled out, the waterbender's scent of fresh rain and honey clinging to him. Ghazan's muscles rippled as dark fur spread down his spine and on his shoulders.

He leaped down into the alley, landing soundlessly. The other man didn't even notice Ghazan behind him until clawed hands yanked his shoulders and slammed him into the wall, gripping the front of his shirt. Ghazan bared his impressive canines as he snarled. "That woman you were with? Don't _ever_ go near her again."

Snot and tears mingled on the man's face from fear. Beads of blood appeared on his shoulders from where the beast's claws were catching his skin, their metallic smell wafting into Ghazan's nostrils, making him salivate. Ghazan would normally feel bad for scaring someone with his looks, but he was caught in a primal, possessive rage. _No one _touched _his_ Ming Hua.

Ghazan let out another long growl, one that promised a quick death consisting of very sharp teeth. A horrible scent mingled with the blood smell. The guy had shit himself. Ew.

Ghazan dropped him on the ground where he crumpled at the lavabender's feet. Ghazan bunched his powerful leg muscles and sprang onto the roof, running back to the campsite. The earthbender came to a halt and padded into the campsite, noticing a brightness that signalled dawn's approach.

He settled himself beside Ming Hua's tent, instinctively protecting her as he watched the sun rise. He was so caught up in the view that he failed to notice everyone else waking up, only realising when something stood over him and he looked up to meet Ming Hua's dark eyes.

"Hey Ming." He greeted her, grinning softly. He yawned as he stretched, rolling onto his back and purring as he felt the sun's rays warm his belly. She sat down next to him and he shifted so that his head was in her lap. "Where were you last night?" He questioned, raising a hand to lazily bat at her hair.

Ming Hua gave him a small smile. "Out."

Ghazan nodded, "Ah. You didn't come back till late. Really late. Must've been, what, almost dawn?"

Her smile instantly fell and she glared at him. It would be terrifying to anyone else, but she wouldn't hurt him much and he found it adorable. "How would you know that?"

The lavabender smiled as he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent that was completely _her_. "I met your boyfriend. He's a wuss." He heard her shocked intake of breath and smirked.

"You had no right." Her voice was low and lethal. He didn't bother opening his eyes.

"_He_ had no right." Ghazan replied, smiling easily. His ears had flattened to his head in anger again as he thought about the drunkard.

Ming Hua's voice rose to a shout. "You don't own me!" She stood and he rolled off her legs, lying on the ground at her feet. His tail swished from side as he crossed his arms and lifted his chest from the ground.

Ghazan smirked wickedly. "That wasn't why I did it." He had no idea why.

She didn't bother replying, choosing instead to stomp off and ignore him. He watched her go, trying to repress the sudden need to follow her, protect her. He chose instead to roll onto his back and resume basking in the sun.

Zaheer had been trapped in his tent by the sunshine so the group was pretty much stuck here for the entire day. That was fine with Ghazan. He had no sleep last night, too busy making sure everyone was okay. The beast needed his sleep.

He hadn't always been a beast. It just used to be a full-moon-only thing. But signing your soul over to a demon generally had effects on the appearance. Ming Hua didn't always have those black markings tracing over her skin, according to P'Li. It was only after she agreed to join Zaheer.

No one knew why Zaheer was a demon. One of the rumours around the Red Lotus, that Ghazan only heard thanks to his spectacular hearing because the four monsters weren't exactly popular, was that Zaheer had ventured to far into the Spirit world and been corrupted. He was pretty sure Unalaq had something to do with it.

The earthbender, at some point, woke up from his nap to find that the sun had moved and he had fallen asleep. The most obvious course of action then was to eat some of the leftover breakfast that the others had, and pick a different spot in the clearing to sleep the afternoon away. Zaheer would have them moving all night anyway and Ghazan hated being away from his precious earth. He'd exercise then.

After much deliberating and turning in circles, the lavabender picked the best spot to sleep and curled up on his stomach, the sun on his back. It was by pure coincidence that this was right next to P'Li, and that the chimera spent the next ten minutes scratching behind his ears. He drifted off with a blissful grin on his face.

He woke up again to find that the bastard sun had decided to move again and so had P'Li. Ugh. His ear twitched as he heard something walking towards him. The steps were too light to be P'Li, and too dainty to be Zaheer. He didn't even bother cracking open an eye when the scent of fresh rain and honey flooded his nose. "If you sit on me I will bite you."

She did exactly that, plopping herself right down on his back. "I bet you'd love to do that." She laughed.

He groaned and rested his forehead against the dirt. "I said I was sorry." What was he sorry for?

"No you didn't." Oh yeah. He hadn't. He wasn't going to either after he remembered their spat. So maybe he was being possessive, but it was for her sake. Right?

Ghazan decided to change the conversation. "I'm surprised you're talking to me Ming. I thought you'd be hovering over your cauldron, cooking up something to kill some poor sucker." Preferably the guy Ghazan had threatened but probably something for him.

He just hoped it wouldn't turn him pink again. Even though he couldn't exactly see a change. But everyone else could and P'Li generally warned him. Generally. There was this one time. Not fun.

"I was, for a while." The witch stated proudly. "But Zaheer was getting antsy. He was zipping around everywhere and knocked my cauldron over." She looked particularly miffed at this. "It was for you anyway. Not some 'poor sucker'."

Ghazan smirked at her, showing off his long canines. "A love potion, Ming? You'd go to all that trouble for me?" She looked like she'd hit him if she could. As it was, she glared at him again.

"You're an idiot." She snapped.

He grinned at her, his tail wagging slowly. "But I'm having fun."

Ming Hua rolled her eyes. "Whatever makes you happy, Ghazan."

Ghazan's ears perked up. "I like that. More people should have that outlook on life." Ming Hua huffed, Ghazan never failed to irritate anyone he was stuck with for more then five minutes. She almost pitied his prison guards.

"I'm not forgiving you, you know." The witch stated. Ghazan looked at her quizzically. She elaborated. "For threatening that guy. I can take care of myself. I don't need you to do it, I'm not weak."

Ghazan rested his head on the ground. "I know."

Ming Hua raised a brow. "Then why do you treat me like I am?"

He took her by surprise, knocking her hat off as he rolled over and playfully pinned her under him. She tried to kick him and he yelped. "Not fair Ming!"

He slammed his hands on the ground beside her head and grinned. "I threatened that guy because I _wanted_ to." He growled. "You're not his." _Mine._ The possessive thought entered his head suddenly and without warning.

Ming Hua looked up at him. "Are you jealous?" There was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.

Ghazan smirked as he leaned in closer. "Maybe." The witch mirrored his smirk. Her eyes dragged over his bare torso, lingering on the defined muscles and dark tattoos.

"Hey, Zaheer made dinner and- uh," P'Li's contralto cut through the charged air like a knife. The two glanced at the chimera, whose scythe-like tail whipped behind her in embarrassment. "Um, okay. You two are having a moment so I'll just, you know, go." She bit her lip as she spread her mismatched wings and lifted herself into the air. "I- uh, sorry." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her hand brushing the stitches that grafted her tattoo to her skin, before she flew off. _Whoops_, she thought.

Ghazan looked back at the witch below him. "So anyway…" He waggled his eyebrows and smirked.

"No."

"OH, COME ON!"

* * *

><p>P'Li and Zaheer valiently attempted to stifle their laughter when Ghazan stomped into the campsite, his tail swishing angrily. Ming Hua followed with a cocky smirk that seemed more suited to Ghazan's face then hers.<p>

The lavabender grumbled as he sat next to Zaheer. P'Li heard him mutter something about 'never cockblock you guys'. She smirked as she delicately disembowelled her squirrel frog, the perfect example of such a time coming into her mind.

"'Really? Right now?'" She impersonated his gruff voice. He glared at her.

"I do not sound like that and I was driving. Through a blizzard." P'Li nodded her head in acknowledgement. Ming Hua snorted.

"He has a point." Zaheer shrugged.

Ghazan smiled and slung an arm around the airbender's shoulders. "Mr Smokey over here gets it." Zaheer pinched his nose.

"_Why _do I defend you?" The earthbender shrugged, tossing his struggling squirrel frog in the air and catching it in his jaws, cleanly snapping its neck.

He pointed the carcass at Zaheer. "Can't your almighty guru-wisdom tell me?" Zaheer rubbed his chin.

"Hmm… Let's see." He snapped his fingers. "Well, Guru Laghima always said-" The rest of his sentence was cut off. Ghazan waited a moment longer before lifting his tail away from the other man's face.

Zaheer immediately brought his cold hands up and scraped at his tongue. "You got fur in my mouth!" He spat, pulling a black hair as long as his finger out of his mouth. Ming Hua looked a little green.

"That is disgusting." Zaheer raised a brow at her. She wasn't the one who just had Ghazan's tail slapped over their face.

Ghazan dragged his rough tongue over the squirrel frog, stripping flesh from bone, and glanced up. "Wha'?" He realised his tongue was still sticking out and retracted it. He pointed at the gagging demon. "Next time you mention gurus, I'll spit on you."

Zaheer edged away from where he was sitting next to Ghazan before he slowly stood and backed off, sitting down next to P'Li. The sniper had spent the last five minutes ignoring the world around her as she devoured the still-bleeding meat. She looked up to see Ghazan looking unperturbed as usual while Ming Hua and Zaheer looked ready to throw up. "What have I missed now?"

Zaheer faced her. "You don't want to know, dear." The woman rolled her amber eyes.

Ghazan froze. "It's not important." He didn't want to risk the firebender's short temper. Ming Hua stooped her head, hiding her face behind the wide brim of her hat. She didn't want the earthbender to see her grinning at his fear. He polished off the last of his meal and set to picking his teeth clean.

P'Li sighed, "Honestly, you two are like children sometimes."

Ghazan laughed, "Don't you mean cubs?" Zaheer grinned cockily and Ghazan was worried that a small animal had just fallen over dead.

"Speaking of cubs, when are you two getting some?" The airbender said slyly. He was immediately skewered by twin glares, taking some pride in the fact that all of Ghazan's fur stood on end. Ming Hua stood, trying to hide her pink cheeks.

"No. No. Not happening. Never." Ghazan pouted.

"_Ouch_, Ming." His ears drooped. "That hurts. I'm not that bad, am I?" P'Li bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. Watching the witch and the jackal lynx bicker never stopped being hilarious.

"See what you've done?" She whispered in Zaheer's ear, who smiled innocently.

"Are you sure you're not attracted to his 'animal magnetism'?" Zaheer loved puns. Especially bad puns that weren't really puns at all. It was embarrassing.

"Shut up Zaheer. It's not funny, Ghazan. Stop laughing." Ming Hua snapped at the earthbender.

The demon leaned forward. "What's the problem Ming Hua? Is the ice queen afraid she'll melt?"

Ghazan fell on the floor and clutched his stomach. P'Li stood. "If you're going to make horrible puns, I'm going to bed. If you two get it on tonight, please wait until I'm asleep." Ming Hua wished she had arms for the express purpose of facepalming. Water tentacles didn't work so well for that.

P'Li stepped over a cackling Ghazan. Ming Hua glared at the two males. "So help me, if you say one more stupid pun…" She left the threat hanging, confident that the two could fill in the gaps. Ghazan began to clamber back onto his seat.

Zaheer blinked at the waterbender. "But wouldn't you like to Za-hear the one about puppy love?" Ghazan sank back to the floor, losing any sense of dignity he may have possessed in Ming Hua's eyes.

_Idiots._ Ming Hua thought, _I'm surrounded by idiots._ She decided it would be best to walk away from the two men before she decapitated or poisoned them. Zaheer's puns weren't even good! Ghazan had a better sense of humour then that.

A hand gently touched her shoulder. The waterbender whirled around, murderous blue eyes meeting hazel eyes brimming with laughter. "What? Finished laughing at bad puns?" She said brusquely. She didn't want to have to deal with anymore teasing or arguments or terrible puns. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before anyway. That may have had something to do with her one night stand though.

Ghazan's lips quirked into a half-smile. "Zaheer tries too hard. I can handle about three before it stops being funny." She rolled her eyes.

Ghazan lifted his hand from her shoulder and scratched the back of his head. His other hand rested on the frame of her tent, beside her head. He probably hadn't even realised how he was boxing her in. The earthbender smiled sheepishly. "I'm not really that bad, am I?"

Ming Hua realised he was talking about her defensive comment from earlier. The idiot was so sensitive sometimes. Damn. She had to clear this up now or he'd be sulking for days. "No. You're not. You're annoying as hell though."

He shrugged. "I try. So…" One of his ears lay back bashfully. "About last night," She did not want to talk about last night. Or any of the conversations they had involving last night. It was her business. "How about we just move on and never speak of it again." Ming Hua nodded. That was fine with her.

"Agreed." She smirked wryly at him. "You were jealous though." She teased. His eyes narrowed and he brought his face closer to hers.

"You have no idea." And he was kissing her, one of his hands threading through her dark hair. She kissed him back, opening her mouth and biting at his lower lip. A low growl rumbled from his chest and sent shivers down her spine. He kept his mouth closed as he leant in, trailing kisses down her jawline. Pain suddenly radiated from where she stomped on his foot. He yelped.

She smirked and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. His fluffy tail wagged madly. She ducked under his arm and into her tent. "Good night Ghazan." She yelled.

Zaheer clapped. "Finally. Well done, both of you." He walked to his and P'Li's tent before he cupped a hand over his mouth and called out, "You owe me ten yuans Ming Hua, he kissed you first." The demon nodded to the earthbender before he slipped into his tent.

Ghazan was still frozen in his position. He had finally kissed her. She had kissed him back. Then she stomped on his foot and kissed him again. This caught up to his brain and he punched the air victoriously. _Hell yes!_ He smiled as he took up his position in front of his waterbender's tent, tracing out constellations of a beast and a witch, a soft smile on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>There. Is that good enough for all you Mingzan shippers out there? So this is the first time I've ever written something romantic that wasn't P'Li attack-hugging someone. <strong>

**So Zaheer's a demon, Ming Hua's a witch who specialises in potions, P'Li is Frankenstein's monster (or the Warlord's monster) and Ghazan is a jackal lynx, which is similar to a werewolf. I think that's good enough for Halloween. **

**Today is also a double update, people! In the spirit of the holiday. Happy Halloween to you all, and thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. **

**Feel free to ask me questions or make suggestions! I'm always happy to blather on about the Red Lotus.**


	5. Water- Ming Hua's story

"And that's my story." Ghazan finished with a forced grin. Ming Hua sat next to Zaheer in the passenger seat and had twitsed herself to look in the back. She saw what the two brothers didn't, the pained look in his eyes.

She knew him well. Ghazan didn't think about his past often, none of them did. The brothers were staring at Ghazan with twin expressions of wide-eyed shock. The earthbender's mouth was hanging open.

Ghazan looked like he was beginning to regret this discussion. Ming Hua knew that it was probably just because he was bored and a bored Ghazan got jittery. He wouldn't have talked about that for any other reason. There was no way he could trust these two children just like that.

The cop regained his senses first. "That's… a really sad story." His brother nodded. Ghazan glanced around uneasily.

"It's not that bad. Ming Hua's was worse." The waterbender was going to kill him. Idiot didn't know when to pipe down.

"Shut it, Ghazan." She snapped. She was not spilling a sob story to these kids. Fuck Ghazan. If he wanted talk to these saps, he'd do it without dragging her into it. The kids needed to stay quiet anyway. She'd already answered their questions.

"What is her story?" The younger of the two asked. "How'd she lose her arms?" Ming Hua spoke up before the kid died. She didn't want to deal with the whining of the older kid if his brother died.

"I was born without them." Ghazan and P'Li glanced at each other. Ming Hua continued, her mind travelling back to her childhood. "Republic City's not always the nicest place to grow up."

* * *

><p>Ming Hua was a city girl, through and through, born and raised. Her dad was from the Northern Water Tribe, and came down to make a life for himself. It would've been perfect if it weren't for her mother.<p>

Ming Hua barely remembers her leaving. She just remembers sitting on the floor and watching her mother fold clothes and put them in a small bag. Then she stood, pushed a strand of dark hair from her pale face and left. She closed the door behind her and locked her daughter in the house. Ming Hua walked over to the door and tried to reach for the handle. She didn't like being small.

She sat down and cried, because Daddy normally came and hugged her when she was crying and she wanted a cuddle. Mommy never hugged her, only told her to stop. She pulled her knees to her chest and accidently brushed one against a yellowed bruise on her jaw. Mommy said she wasn't sitting quietly enough. The little girl wished she could rub at her face to get rid of the tears.

She doesn't really remember what happened to her arms, they weren't the best arms, they were short and fingers were missing, but they were hers. One day she had them then she didn't. She thinks she made Mommy upset. Mommy got upset easily, and sometimes made fire come to life. Fire was what had taken her arms, according to the doctors. Mommy always told her to lie and say she was born without them.

She didn't know how long she sat by the door, but her stomach grumbled and hurt after a while. She didn't move though. She was used to it. Mommy always made her wait. It was polite. She stayed in the place so long she didn't realise she fell asleep until her dark blue eyes shot open and saw darkness.

Someone was pushing open the door. Ming Hua looked up in fear and scrambled away. It was dark and Mommy hadn't come back. The door opened and a gruff voice reached the little girl's ears. "What the hell?"

"Daddy!" Ming Hua screamed as she stumbled forward and bumped into his leg. Warm hands gently grabbed her waist and carefully lifted her, avoiding the bandages on her sides. Tears swam in her dark blue eyes as she babbled. "Mommy left and she's not come back!"

Toruk closed his eyes and sighed. He had told his wife that she needed to leave. He didn't want her to hurt his daughter. "You're right, koala-otter. Your mother's not coming back." Ming Hua sniffled slightly. The Northerner lifted her chin. "She'll never hurt you again. I promise, I won't let anything hurt you again."

* * *

><p>"You're useless!" Ming Hua was shoved forward. The words burned in her ears, setting her face aflame. Her long sleeves covered hung from her shoulders, hiding her lack of arms. She had specifically asked her Daddy for them, not wanting to seem weaker then she was.<p>

She turned to face her attackers, her dark eyes blazing. "Leave me alone." The girl hissed, hunching her shoulders forward. The other children laughed. One of the girls, Chun, the teacher's daughter, stepped forward.

"I heard you were born without arms, that you're an ugly freak." She said nastily, flicking her brown hair over her shoulder. Her brown eyes glittered with malice. Ming Hua kicked her leg. Chun screamed and broke into tears. The ringleader of the bullies, a boy named Azu, son of one of the richest men in the district, stood in front of Chun and pushed the small girl back.

"Poor, ugly, armless creep! Can't do anything!" He yelled. Ming Hua gritted her teeth and sat up before clumsily standing.

She was about to leap forward and drive her boney shoulders into Azu's stomach. Her dark eyes narrowed as she remembered how all the other fights had ended, with her bruised and bleeding as she waited for her dad. Her daddy told her that she had to stop picking fights. She was smaller then all the other kids, not even taking her lack of arms into account.

She took a deep breath as she attempted to quell her explosive temper. She turned to walk away when a hand fastened on her black hair and tugged. Ming Hua howled, kicking out blindly behind her. He foot hit something solid and she was rewarded with a yelp of pain.

Another boy tackled her for hitting his friend and Ming Hua bit his ear, driving a knee into her stomach. Her face was pushed into the ground by someone else. "Eat dirt, freak!" Ming Hua twisted, unbalancing the other kid, her foot lashing up and hitting their jaw. The girl reclaimed her footing quickly and grinned savagely, blood on her chin. Chun screamed and ran away. Azu cocked a fist back to throw a punch. The girl jumped forward before he could and headbutted him, letting out a war cry.

"MING HUA!" The outraged screech of the teacher made all the children freeze. The woman ran over and pulled the spitting girl off her prize student. The woman went pale at the sight of the blood on the girl's chin.

Chun followed the teacher, tears welling in her eyes. The little snitch went to get her mother. "Ming Hua started it, Momma! She called me names and she bit Li! Azu was trying to get her to stop and she kicked him!" Chun pushed her hair from her eyes and smiled darkly at Ming Hua, who growled.

The teacher looked around and spotted another boy who was watching on, "Is this true?" Ming Hua turned to him. He was almost as small as her and she thought she recognised him. His eyes darted between everyone's faces as he held a book close to his chest.

Azu glared at him and Chun shook her head. The boy swallowed. Ming Hua knew that there would be no help from him. "Ye-yes Miss." The teacher glared at Ming Hua.

"Wait until I tell your parents about this, missy." Ming Hua gasped in outrage.

"They started it! They tripped me and bullied me and pulled my hair! Azu was about to punch me!" Her teacher smacked her, like everytime someone had done something to offend her daughter or her daughter's best friend.

"Enough lying! Ming Hua, you are to wait outside my classroom until your parents get here. The rest of you, I'll take you to the infirmary." Ming Hua did as she was told, even if inwardly she fumed. It was unfair! All because Azu had money and Chun was the teacher's daughter, they were automatically believed instead of her?

She sat outside the classroom for ages while her Daddy talked with her teacher. He finally emerged and picked her up, hefting her onto his shoulder. He began walking home. "You got in another fight today." He stated. Ming Hua sniffed, glaring down at the river that ran through the street.

"They were lying, Chun and Azu started it. They said I was a ugly freak. Azu pulled my hair." Toruk lifted her off his shoulders as they reached the apartment building they called home. They entered their home and the waterbender turned on the lights. Electricity was a grand new invention. Toruk knelt down and looked his daughter in the eye.

"I believe you, koala-otter, but please stop fighting. We don't have enough to send you to a different school." Ming Hua shrugged.

"I could always not go to school." Toruk laughed.

"Nice try, but you're still going. Your teacher wants you to apologise to the other kids. That's the only way she'll let you back in." He placed a large hand on her shoulder, his deep blue eyes looking into hers.

"Apologise?" Ming Hua yelled. He nodded.

"I don't like it either. It's demeaning." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But sometimes we have to suck up our pride and do what we must. It's hard, but it's what you have to do in this city." Ming Hua nodded.

"Okay, Daddy." Toruk smiled as he lifted her onto the kitchen countertop they had.

"That's good, koala-otter." He smirked at her as he opened the bag he was carrying and pulled out some fish dumplings. "I saw the other kids. Nice kicking, little warrior. You are far prettier then Chun, by the way." Ming Hua smiled. As long as she had her Daddy, everything would be okay.

* * *

><p>Ming Hua kicked at a rock as she walked home. Her Daddy said she had to wait for him at the school but she was tired of doing that. She reached the top of the bridge outside her home and sat, swinging her legs over the side as she stared at the water below.<p>

She could feel it, calm and flowing. She remembered what had happened today. She had been given a new nickname. She was coward now, a poor, freaky, ugly, armless coward who ran from fights. She kicked her leg and imagined it was hitting Chun, or Azu. The rich boy and the girl with connections. They thought that meant they had power. Ming Hua got a lot of joy from imagining them getting eaten by polar bear dogs. Or drowning in the icy seas of the North Pole. Or the two of them getting baked into dumplings! Or having their faces stolen by Koh! Who would be the ugly ones then?

_But that wouldn't happen,_ she reminded herself, shattering her daydreams. The little girl swung her legs again. There was nothing she could do either. Ming Hua was seen by everyone who met her as tiny and helpless and fragile and weak. She wasn't weak! She knew she wasn't.

There was a splashing sound. Ming Hua looked down and kicked her leg again. The water rippled. She called up all her feelings of frustration and rage, trying to channel it into the water. She kicked both her legs and a small stream of water rose and fell, following the direction of her kick. The little girl looked around and spotted a small stairway that would get her closer to the river.

Ming Hua focused and spun, trying to pull water towards her, the same way Daddy did when she watched him at work. The water flew in a half-circle around her before she lost control and it splashed onto the ground, soaking her shoes.

She looked at the sky and remembered that her Daddy would be looking for her. She ran back up the steps and stood outside the apartment building. Toruk appeared at the end of the street and ran up to her, crushing her to his chest. "I was so worried! Why didn't you stay there?" He exclaimed.

Ming Hua shrugged. "I'm not a baby."

"You're five." He said bluntly.

The little girl dropped her head. "Not my fault." She scuffed the ground with a boot. Should she tell him about her waterbending? No, maybe not. Her dad was aready busy. She could figure it out on her own, she wasn't helpless.

Not anymore.

* * *

><p>The full moon was bright in the dark sky, bringing strength and power to Ming Hua. This was it, the ultimate test. It had been an idea she'd had for a while, but she wasn't certain if she could manage it. She had the water whip down easily, and was even able to create about eight at a time, now she wanted to try and use it.<p>

She twirled and water rushed towards her, meeting her shoulders. She focused hard, knowing that losing her focus would mean starting over again. The water whips were short and looked ready to fall apart in a second. She looked at the right one.

The waterbender watched her new appendage raise and the tip turned to ice. The other arm disintegrated when she wasn't focusing fully on it. She gritted her teeth and pulled more water towards her, making them longer. _I've mastered the octopus form, this should be nothing._ She tried again, this time throwing her whip to the other side of the river, losing control as it fell apart in the air. Ming Hua's jaw clenched and she reformed the arm, this time making it reach the other side and trying to pull herself over.

She made it halfway before she fell into the river. She kicked her legs and tried to create a water spout, managing a wobbly one that lifted her onto the nearby steps. Her teeth chattered as she bended the water off of her. She looked around. She wasn't on the side she meant to be on.

Ming Hua fashioned herself the arms again, getting stronger each time. The little girl narrowed her eyes and concentrated hard, drawing on the power she felt from the knowledge that she was not weak. Or fragile. Or helpless. Even if she was tiny and armless, she did not need protecting.

Her water arm reached the other side and she jumped, feeling herself soar through the air. She landed crouched on the pavement on the other side, both of her watery arms in place. She allowed herself a small grin.

The child focused and lifted her water arms, turning the ends to ice. She tried to split her focus between her new arms and the water below. She had two arms, now she should try six. Or maybe eight! Or twenty! Really long ones too! Ones that stretched from one one side of the street to the other! Ming Hua took a breath and concentrated, drawing the water towards her.

Water fell from her shoulders, soaking her leggings and her feet. She shivered in the cool night air and sneezed. Ming Hua ran to the bridge and crossed over, running into her building. She reached her door and pushed it with her foot, making sure she hadn't left it open. They didn't need to be robbed, they already had so little.

Ming Hua closed her eyes and sensed for the water in the small skin she carried on her hip, pulling a thin stream out and gently moving it through the keyhole, hearing a small click. She made the water whip grab the handle and turn to ice, imagining it pulling down and opening the door for her. It did as she commanded and she walked into the apartment, gently closing the door behind her as the water flowed back into the skin.

She tiptoed into her section of the only bedroom, ducking behind the dark blue curtain. She sat on her bed, her strength disappearing and leaving her feeling worn out and tired. That had taken quite a bit out of her. She curled up below the soft blanket, thinking about everything she would do when she could do it properly. She could travel the world, go to the North Pole, be a strong, powerful person. She knew it.

* * *

><p>"It's alright, Dad. I'll be fine." Ming Hua said. Her father nodded, holding a steak to the side of his face. Ming Hua decided right then and there that she hated Equalists, especially their stupid chi-blockers. Her dad was harmless!<p>

Mostly. If something tried to hurt Ming Hua he'd hunt them down until they died and would probably follow them into the afterlife if he could. No one could hold a grudge like her dad, except for her, of course.

Ming Hua shrugged her long-sleeved jacket on and opened the door. She looked back at her battered father and wished she was a healer. Not every waterbender had the knack sadly, and Ming Hua's water was as glowless as always, no matter how much she tried.

The fifteen year old left the apartment, a water skin slung around her hip. She shrugged on her long-sleeved jacket and headed out, very careful to make sure there was nothing of value easily spotted on her person. A new bending triad had recently set up here, which had brought, of course, Equalists. Bunch of hoods.

A low whistle sounded behind her. "What's a doll like you doing on Triple Threat turf?" Ming Hua whirled around, meeting the eyes of a dark-skinned boy about her age wearing white gloves and a dark gray blazer.

Ming Hua glared at him. "Don't call me 'doll', punk." The boy ran a hand through his black hair and smirked.

"Whatever you say, _doll_. Name's Viper, with the Triple Threats." Viper said smoothly. She raised a brow as she watched him not-as-discreetly-as-he-hoped glance up and down her form. There was no way in hell 'Viper' was his real name.

She huffed and began walking away, looking back over her shoulder for a parting shot. "Whatever hood, go get pinched." She was going to keep walking when she heard footsteps next to her and an arm brushed her ribs. Viper had caught up with her and had slung an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Well, you're a livewire aren't you?" He laughed. "Come on, you, me, Narook's. I swear it won't be a flat tire." Ming Hua wasn't sure how to respond to that. She'd never had anyone flirt with her or other to take her out on the town.

"Beat it, punk." She stomped on his foot and pushed away from him, waking ahead and trying to put the encounter out of her mind.

* * *

><p>Ming Hua rolled her eyes as Viper appeared beside her again. "Don't you have a life?" She snarked. Viper smirked.<p>

"Eh, nothing much happening in it right now." He slung an arm around her shoulders.

She quirked an eyebrow as she looked up at him. "So your plan is to walk me everywhere?" He shrugged.

"You haven't complained." Dark blue eyes narrowed. "Much. Not for the last two months, doll. Besides, pretty dame like you shouldn't be walking alone."

"Don't call me doll." He chuckled. She glared up at him. "I don't need your pity anyway, hood. I can take care of myself."

Viper ruffled her hair, withdrawing his hand when she bared her teeth at him. "You ever been in a real fight?" He asked her. Ming Hua thought over it.

"With the other kids when I was five. I bit someone's ear." Viper took a step backwards.

"Someone's ear?" He repeated. "You're screwy, doll, you know that?" Ming Hua gave him her creepiest grin. Viper chuckled. "Still not a real fight. Not like the ones I've been in."

Ming Hua butted her shoulder against his. "You're full of shit, Viper."

He wore his signature smug smirk. "You still like me, though." Ming Hua huffed but wasn't going to argue. It was really sad that her first friend was a criminal slimeball. Viper wrapped an arm around her waist. "So, we going to Narook's then? You, me, a date?"

"I'm going to school. Winter's over, beginning of a new year." Facing her tormentors once again. Ugh. Mybe she got lucky and they all died over the holidays. Or Viper's gang caught them and took them for a ride. That would be nice.

"Well, if it isn't the armless freak." The snide voice rang through the air. Chun stood on the steps to the school, her brown hair handing in waves down her back, one hand on her cocked hip. Azu stood behind her, leaning casually against the wall.

Ming Hua began grinding her jaw. Sometimes she was sorely tempted to shoot both of them full of icicles, but that would mean getting arrested and her father would have to pay a fine that he didn't have the money for. So Ming Hua behaved, even if it made her life hell. Eighteen. Just until she was eighteen.

She was about to fire off a barbed comment of her own, one of the many she had stored in her head, but was beaten to it by Viper. Viper, who strolled casually up to the rich bitch and her high-class gigalo. He shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled easily.

"You're Azu, right? Father owns a bank on Hei Bai Way?" Azu nodded, something about this other boy's casual, confident attitude sending chills down his spine. Viper turned icy eyes on the girl. "Chun, was it? Mother owns this here establishment and your pops works in that bank?" What he said next as he pulled his gloved hands from his pockets and showed off the water skin in his coat chilled the two teenagers to the bone.

"That's smack dab in the middle of Triple Threat territory, you know that?" Viper slung an arm around Ming Hua's waist, pulling the slip of a girl closer to him. The criminal's lip twisted into a smug, vengeful parody of a smile as his eyes narrowed. "Shame if something happened…"

Chun glanced at Ming Hua, her green eyes wide with fear as she gaped soundlessly. Azu gulped and stared very hard at the ground. Ming Hua smiled sadistically, watching gleefully as tears began to swim in the other girl's eyes and Azu went very pale. Water met their throats, pushing them back against the wall.

The petite waterbender stepped up to them, her voice coming out as a quiet hiss. "Don't fuck with me, you hear?" The two nodded rapidly, whites showing all around their irises. It was accilerating, intoxicating, a rush of power. Ming Hua's dark eyes narrowed as she let the two fall to the ground.

She turned to an impressed Viper. "Let's scram." She stated. He nodded and the two left the school, blending into the crowd. She could do without school for a day. She was still on the power rush from threatening her enemies and nudged Viper's shoulder. He looked down at her and she smiled slyly. "You, me, Narook's?" She echoed the question he had asked her a million times.

He smirked confidently at her. "Thought you'd never ask, doll."

* * *

><p>"Daddy, it's fine." Ming Hua said as she rolled her eyes.<p>

"The whelp's name is Viper. That doesn't sound fine." Toruk grunted as he stood outside the apartment building with his daughter. His daughter leaned against the wall and decided to bang her head on it a few times. Of course she'd get an overprotective dad.

She looked down the street to see the man of the moment appear, sauntering right up to her father like he was king of the city. Viper exuded cockiness as he smiled at the Northerner, who stood with his feet planted wide and his arms crossed over his chest. "Sir." He tipped the swanky new hat he'd recently acquired. Toruk grunted.

"Dad, use words." Ming Hua said as she stood beside him. "Hey." She greeted her boyfriend, who winked in return. "Uh… Viper, this is my dad. Dad, this is Viper, my _boyfriend_." She stressed the last word and watched as the customary smirk fought to curl Viper's lips.

Toruk reached out and grabbed Viper's shirtfront, lifting him off the ground slightly. Her father may have been short but he was built like a wolfbear. Toruk's dark blue eyes were cold and merciless. "You hurt my koala otter," he ignored Ming Hua's outraged screech, "I will make you suffer. You understand, whelp?"

Viper nodded. "Crystal clear." Toruk dropped him. Viper fixed his hat and blazer as he smirked at Ming Hua, because he was not terrified of her father. Absolutely not. Even if he did have- was that a _jaw blade?!_

Toruk was currently sharpening said blade. "You like it? Made from an arctic wolf. Killed it myself. Get my daughter back here before ten and you won't get a first-hand demonstartion of how to properly gut someone." Viper took a step back.

"Of course, sir." Ming Hua sighed. Her father, honestly. She walked over to her criminal boyfriend and they started down the street. Toruk stared after them, his jaw grinding.

"I still don't like the whelp!" He yelled. Ugh. Boyfriend. What the hell was that about? He needed a drink.

Ming Hua glanced at her boyfriend. "That didn't go as bad as I thought. You're looking a bit pale there, Viper." She nudged his side.

"He threatened to kill me, doll. Is that what it's like?" Ming Hua shrugged.

"Wouldn't know. People haven't threatened to bump me off much." She smirked. "So what's the big surprise you were spilling about?" Confidence slowly trickled into Viper as he got over what was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. No one should have a knife that sharp.

"Well, I heard that there was a certain championship finals on." Ming Hua practically squealed with joy.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She bounced, a wide grin on her face. She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to Viper's cheek.

Viper smiled and pulled her close, his arm taking its usual position around her face. "It's funny how the only things that make you grin are terrifying the hell outta folks and pro-bending."

Ming Hua rested her head against his arm as they walked, calming slightly as she thought of how the Rabiroos would pound the other team into the ground. She was in a good mood now. She looked up at Viper. "You want cash or check?" She asked. Viper smirked.

"Cash." He bent down and captured her lips. She smiled against his mouth.

* * *

><p>"YOU SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!" She yelled, shouldering past her boyfriend and the other Triple Threats. Her father was on the ground, unmoving. She turned him over and felt her stomach turn. Dark bruises marred his face, intermingling with burns that cleaved his flesh to the bone.<p>

She whirled around, angry, murderous eyes glaring into Viper's shocked ones. He was still on the the ground from where he pushed him out of the way. "What did you do?" she whispered, repeating herself at a yell. "What did you DO?!" Her last word turned into a scream.

Viper held up his hands, his pristine white gloves a crimson red. "I swear, doll, I was trying to heal him." Ming Hua flung herself at him, pinning him to the ground as water burst from his skin and formed a dagger sharp icicle above his eye.

In her peripheral vision Ming Hua saw the two other gang members moving. Water from a nearby grate rose and ice skewered them, stained with crimson. They hung limply from the spikes, like puppet dolls without strings, like how Ming Hua felt.

Ming Hua didn't tear her eyes from Viper's. He stared in horror at the way his girlfriend had so easily murdered two men, without even blinking. Her black hair fell over her face, barely brushing her shoulders. Her full chest heaved with sobs as dark blue eyes searched his. It would have been really sexy if it wasn't going to be the last thing he'd ever see.

The alley was silent aside from Ming Hua's choked sobs and the steady dripping sound of blood on stone. Viper realised that she was waiting for him to give her an excuse to put an icicle through his eye. "I'm not lying, doll! Those two were new meat, they didn't know that Toruk was off-limits. I'm sorry, Ming Hua. I tried to help him." It was possibly the first time he'd spoken to her without a trace of his smug confidence. Instead there was terror, pure undiluted terror.

Ming Hua glared in anger, not noticing the tears falling from her eyes. "Don't call me 'doll'." She drove the icicle through Viper's bicep, ignoring his cry of agony. She stood and kicked the corpses of the 'new meat', her eyes glowing with a dark, cold fire.

No one would care. It would just be a mugging gone wrong. There would be no justice for her father, nothing that she hadn't already dispensed.

Ming Hua left Republic City that night. She never looked back.

* * *

><p>Her breath fogged in front of her as she traversed the icy tundra. Snow crunched under her feet as strength flowed through her veins. The Northern lights danced in the sky above her as Ming Hua twirled under the full moon. This was her place, surrounded by her element.<p>

She had travelled to the Northern Water Tribe after she was branded as a wanted criminal in Republic City. Really, it was two men. Two murderers at that. It wasn't murder, it was justice, revenge. Viper was lucky she had decided to spare him.

No, she didn't want to think about her ex, or the fact that she had been driven out of the only home she'd ever known. Anger welled up inside the waterbender and she drew ice and snow towards her shoulders.

She was powerful now, able to create arms that stretched as far as her imagination, able to travel this terrain with leaps and bounds, aided by her liquid prostethics. She could hold multiple arms and perform incredible feats of waterbending at the same time. Her current record was seventeen water arms. She was pretty proud. Still hadn't gotten twenty yet.

She felt the power the moon granted her and closed her eyes, focusing on the valley below her. She opened them to see a lake stretching in front of her, she smirked and exhaled, the lake refreezing into snow.

There was a clapping sound, Ming Hua spun and crouched, pulling more water to her shoulders, turning two arms into ten. There was a man in orange standing behind her, a yellow sash crossing over his torso and around his waist, like one of the breezies on Air Temple Island. He was clapping enthusiastically.

She stood from her crouch, not seeing any threat. The slip of a woman stalked towards the man, stopping a short distance away, easily within her reach. Ming HUa narrowed dark eyes at him. "What do you want, breezy?" She snapped.

The man smiled. "Hello, Ming Hua, my name is Zaheer." Her eyes widened and she leapt at him, holding him in the air and pressing an icicle to his throat.

"How do you know me?" She growled. Zaheer didn't look concerned by the makeshift blade touching his jugular.

"We've met before." She raised her eyebrow. "At a pro-bending match. The rabbiroos were playing." Ming Hua's mind flashed back to a crowded stadium, a brown-haired Air Acolyte who talked like a rich boy.

"I remember you." She said softly. "What do you _want?_" She stressed as she pulled him close, the icicle still threatening to slash his throat.

Zaheer smiled serenely. Did anything faze this guy? "Would you like to meet a friend of mine, and possibly travel with us for a while? The North Pole must get boring after a while." Ming Hua couldn't help but agree. What was there to do when she knew she was powerful? Her ice spike reformed into water, and she noticed Zaheer's quiet sigh of relief. Not quite so unfazed after all.

Zaheer smiled a much more genuine smile. "We'll be travelling throughout the world; wouldn't you like to see it?" Visions danced in the waterbender's mind of far-off places, testing her strength against other, more challenging opponents, possibly improving her waterbending.

She dropped Zaheer on the ground. "I'd ask where I sign, but I'll need more convincing then that. Give me a few days to think on it." Zaheer brushed snow off his parka, which she noticed was severely lacking in warm fur. Typical breezy, always proclaiming that someone could live on vegetables. What a horrible diet.

Zaheer bowed to her. What the hell? "I await your answer. Just tell me something, have you ever seen an earthbending ring?" She raised a brow. Now that sounded interesting.

* * *

><p>Her first time seeing an earthbending fighter, and she hadn't realised until he'd gone off to deal with their money problems a week after he joined them. Damn. He could've at least invited her along, shown her the fight rings. There wasn't a lot of street fighting in Republic City strangely. Probably because Chief Bei Fong was a stick-in-the-mud hardass.<p>

He returned from the fight ring bruised and black-eyed. It was then that Ming Hua realised she had never seen him fight. None of them had. So the waterbender did the logical thing to do. She stomped up to the smartass brat and offered to kick his ass in a sparring match. Fighting an earthbender wasn't too hard; they only used rocks that were easy to dodge.

He had grinned with a split lip and nodded immediately. P'Li was the referee to make sure no one got too badly injured. Ming Hua didn't know what to think about the giantess when she first met her, aside from the fact tha P'Li's chin was touching her chest and she had to bend down and Ming Hua was busy with her head staring straight up into guarded russet eyes. One of the weirdest meetings she'd ever had.

P'Li wasn't bad, she was just quiet, and she had a strange affinity for animals. The woman would probably coo over spider rats if she was given the chance. And that was a disturbing thought and Ming Hua wished someone would kill her imagination. Please.

She stood on one side of the clearing they had designated for sparring, her water skins strapped to her hips. Ghazan was on the other side, bandages woven around his knuckles. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. Zaheer was watching with interest, wondering what it was the new recruit could do. Ming Hua figured he would hold back, seeing her lack of arms as a reason to pity her. She had seen the looks he had given her. He was sorry for her.

Ming Hua made the first move, pulling water from the skins and creating her arms, sending a barrage of icicle spikes at the young earthbender. Ghazan didn't do anything except create an earth tent for the icicles to shatter against.

Ming Hua pulled the shattered ice towards her, liquifying it and lengthening her arms into thin whips, which struck the earth tent, breaking it apart. Ghazan leapt backwards, rolling to the side as he raised his hands, not moving from his standing position. He was an easy target.

The waterbender smiled wide as she ran at the earthbender, ready to trap him in ice so he couldn't move. The teenager brought his hands up and jumped, slamming his feet on the ground. Dust erupted from under Ming Hua, blinding her. That was unexpected. She felt the water leave her control as Ghazan did something and turned her appendages to mud. What the fuck? She'd never seen an earthbender do that! Where were the large chunks of rock being flung at her?

Her muddy arms were ripped from her in her confused, angry state, splattering the surroundings. Ming Hua heard his steps walk towards her and was going to kick his shin, before she felt the earth rise up and encase her legs. She heard her opponent exhale from where he stood right in front of her and the sand fell from her, leaving her blinking angrily.

He was grinning. Smug, cocky, just like Viper. "I win." He stated, crossing his tattooed arms. Ming Hua glared furiously at him.

"What was that?" She snapped. That wasn't the earthbending she knew. She saw P'Li and Zaheer staring with some shock, peeking out from behind an earth wall. They hadn't seen Ming Hua lose a fight so easily before. She wasn't weak, she told herself, even if she felt useless right now.

Ghazan shrugged. "Very small pieces of earth. I have a knack for them. Bet you've never seen an earthbender do that before." He grinned wide. It was the first expression she'd seen on his face that wasn't a scowl.

She was still angry with him. The waterbender huffed. "Not that impressive." Wait until she was really in her element, then they'd see who the strong one was. There was no way in hell that she'd lose a fight to him ever again. "I'm not weak." She said proudly, looking up to meet his eyes. He raised his bandaged hands.

"Never said you were." Ming Hua's eyes narrowed. He nodded. "Really. I saw you fighting Sparky Sparky Boom Girl when I joined you crazies. I sure as hell know you're not weak." Her brow raised.

"You really don't believe in politeness, do you?" He shrugged.

"Wouldn't have been very useful." He glanced at where her feet would be. "Need a ha-" He stopped what he was saying and went quiet for a moment. "Sorry. I'm not going to finish that." He scratched the back of his head and stomped his foot, the earth retreating into the ground. Ming Hua lashed out with her foot, catching his shin.

"Thanks for that. I'm still beating you tomorrow." She stomped off and looked back over her shoulder. So now there was a smartass street fighter to join their ragtag bunch of misfits. Life was weird.

* * *

><p><strong>So, Ming Hua's life. How did I do? I hope it makes sense. You have no idea how much fun researching twenties slang was. Should I provide translations?<strong>

**I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed. You all rock. ****Stay tuned for next week, where we see what happens if there was no such thing as the Red Lotus. This was a suggestion sent to me by Kaoupa.**

**Someone said to me in a review that it was so weird Ghazan was in a fight ring at ten. He was actually six during his first fight. He discovered his earthbending at ten. Some people actually do start cage fighting at six. I just wanted to clear this up.**


	6. The Xai Bau Shirshus

"You're not sneaking off, are you?" Korra froze as she heard a voice from behind her. She turned around to spot one of the Air Acolytes.

"Don't tell Tenzin." She grinned sheepishly. The Air Acolyte (Za-something) smiled.

"You're going to go to the Pro-bending Arena, I assume." It wasn't a question. Korra nodded. The Acolyte (Za-tim? Za-haro? Zaheer! That was it!) began walking away before he looked back over his shoulder. "Do you wish to accompany my friends and I? I'm certain Tenzin can't refuse if there are guards with you."

Korra grinned and ran after him. "I didn't think an Air Acolyte would like Pro-bending."

Zaheer chuckled. "My friends are a pro-bending team. I had to like it for my own survival." Korra laughed. They reached the pier and spotted three figures waiting on a boat. Zaheer jumped into the driver seat as Korra climbed in slowly.

A calloused hand grabbed her arm to steady her as Zaheer started the boat. The tattooed man grinned at her, his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Thanks." She said, easily getting her balance.

His hands tightened on the side of the boat. "Don't mention it. Name's Ghazan." He said, before he turned to glare at the small woman beside him. "And this demon speeding us up is Ming Hua." He held his stomach and hung his head over the side of the boat.

Ming Hua smirked wickedly. "Sooner we get there, the less you have to worry about." Ghazan threw her a dirty look. Korra stared in some amazement. Ming Hua was waterbending, without any arms. The teenager had never seen anyone do something like that.

Korra glanced around at each of them. "So, you guys are a pro-bending team?" The tall woman with a forehead tattoo nodded.

"The Xai Bau Shirshus. I'm P'Li, firebender and team captain." She held out a hand for Korra to shake.

"Why Xai Bau?" The avatar asked. P'Li smirked.

"Zaheer's idea. Xai Bau was his old mentor." She kissed the Air Acolyte's shaven head. Korra glanced away awkwardly. Ming Hua met her gaze and rolled her eyes.

Ghazan apparently recovered enough to speak. "We're the best team in the league; we've never lost a match!"

Korra's eyes shone with enthusiasm. "Really?"

Ming Hua reclined against the seats. "We're famous actually. We've never lost a match and we've never won the championship." Korra deflated.

"How's that possible?" The three pro-benders exchanged glances.

Zaheer spoke up from the front. "They keep getting kicked out due to their anger issues. There's also the fact that Ghazan doesn't believe in rules." A hand reached over from the back and lightly smacked Zaheer's head.

"There was no rule about lavabending!" Ghazan huffed. "We've been over this."

P'Li's amber eyes looked back at him. "You put that man in the hospital."

"But he's fine now!"

Ming Hua leaned closer to Korra. "This'll be our sixth year in the championship. First time, Ghazan got us kicked out by lavabending. Then I started a fight. Ghazan got us and another team kicked out in year three. Fourth year ended when P'Li hit a guy with a chair. Last year Ghazan broke a competitor's arm and threw him out a second-story window." She smirked sadistically. Korra edged away slightly.

The earthbender raised his hand. "Not my fault. Tahno deserved it. Guy's a dickwad." Everyone murmured agreement. Korra looked between them. They were obviously close friends, judging by the way they easily traded insults and jokes. She never had that.

"We'll have to introduce you to the kids." Ghazan was saying, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder. "They'd love to meet you."

"Kids?" Korra quirked an eyebrow. "You two have kids?" She gestured between Ghazan and Ming Hua. The two glanced at each other and looked away hurriedly, the earthbender scratching the back of his head.

P'Li laughed. "The bending brothers, Mako and Bolin. They're a pro-bending team as well." The boat pulled into the pier and P'Li stretched.

Ghazan immediately bounded off the boat and on to the pier. "Solid ground! I love you!" He sat up and cracked his neck. "Yeah, they moved in with us after their parents died, long story, don't ask. We kinda showed them some stuff and then they decided to move out to 'assert their independence'." He made quotation marks in the air. "They're good kids." He offered a hand to help P'Li out.

Ming Hua stepped lightly onto the stone, barely making a sound. "Bolin discovered his lavabending last month. Ghazan's ecstatic. You just missed them. They moved out four days before you arrived." Korra crossed her arms.

"Sounds like I missed out." Zaheer nodded in agreement as he started walking up to the arena. The four benders followed him. When they were inside, Korra and Zaheer seperated from the group. Ghazan winked at them as they walked away. Zaheer handed Korra a phamphlet. "There are two matches on tonight. P'Li's team first, then the second match is Mako and Bolin. I hope their waterbender shows up."

"Why wouldn't he?" Korra asked. The Air Acolyte pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hasook and Mako don't get along. They almost lost their last match and, well, it was quite a fight." The waterbender glanced around.

"Where's the bathroom?" Zaheer pointed down a hallway. "Thanks."

* * *

><p>"And he's in the drink! The Shirshus are completely in sync tonight! Ming Hua goes for a leg sweep and Ghazan knocks him back to zone three. He's on the edge, he's trying to stay on his feet but the Shirshus aren't having any of that tonight, folks! P'Li blocks the flame and retaliates! It's a knockout, ladies and gentleman! The Shirshus are definitely upholding their record for never losing a single match!" The rest of the speech was drowned out by the explosion of noise from the two brothers next to Korra.<p>

Korra joined them, yelling in excitement. Zaheer was next to her, hollering in a way that seemed weird for an Air Acolyte. P'Li and Ghazan waved at the roaring crowd as Ming Hua looked bored. The trio made their way into the locker room, Ghazan spinning Ming Hua's helmet on his fingertips. P'Li pulled her helmet off and shook out her plait as she placed a hand on her hip.

Ghazan threw his arms around his teammate's shoulders, grinning widely. Ming Hua tried to squirm away from him. "Your moustache is scratching my face." She growled. Ghazan planted a kiss on her cheek, before hopping away, holding his foot. Ming Hua smirked proudly. "What did you think?" She asked the other waterbender.

Korra's blue eyes were wide with excitement "It was amazing! You were great out there!" the Shirshus smiled.

Ming Hua smirked. "We can give you tickets to every match if you want." She didn't get to say anymore before arms wrapped around her and lifted her clear off the floor. "Only if you put me down." She snapped, hiding her glee at corrupting another soul into loving pro-bending. Korra placed her on the ground and grinned sheepishly.

The team captain rolled her russet eyes and walked over to to the Fire Ferrets, placing a hand on their shoulders. "Knock them dead, you two." She looked around. "Where's Hasook?" Bolin and Mako glanced at each other.

Ghazan looked up from rubbing his foot. "Not here? Lazy bastard." Ming Hua nodded in agreement.

Bolin was twiddling his fingers nervously. Korra liked him. He was a nice guy, helping her out when the old man in the gym didn't believe she was actually looking for the bathroom, and he brought her to what had to be the best seats in the house.

"If we don't have a waterbender, we can't play in the championships." Mako said, shaking his head. Korra tilted her own head.

"Why don't you ask Ming Hua to play with you?" She asked. Six sets of eyes looked at her. Mako shook his head.

"We can't, otherwise we'll all get kicked out. Where do you find these girls Bolin?" Korra pouted as the four adults laughed. Bolin looked around.

"What's so funny?" He asked, making the adults laugh harder. P'Li recovered quickest.

"Didn't Korra introduce herself properly?" The two boys shrugged. The combustionbender gestured at Korra. "Mako, Bolin, meet Avatar Korra." Mako went pale as Bolin gaped, before he pointed at the Southerner and turned to his brother.

"The Avatar!" He whispered. Mako nodded. Korra crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yep." Her blue eyes widened as an idea struck her. "Maybe I can help you out! I've mastered waterbending and you need a waterbender." The brothers immediately picked up on her idea. Bolin grinned and nodded happily as Mako shook his head.

Ghazan stood and walked over to Korra, clapping her shoulder. "I like this one. She's got spunk." Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. Zaheer was nodding.

"It's a good idea, as long as she just uses waterbending. I've watched her airbending training, it might be useful for her to have an outlet." Korra grinned. Looks like she got to be a pro-bender, at least for a while.

Mako sighed. "Fine, but don't do anything, just try not to get knocked off the edge." Korra nodded. She could do that. Actually, she'd win this match for them, just to see the look on Team Captain's face.

* * *

><p>P'Li cheered as loud as the rest of them when Mako was thrown back onto the stage and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Wolfbats, she was so proud of that boy. Of both those boys. They had been living as street rats for two years before Ghazan had found them and asked if they could keep the two orphans with his big puppy eyes. Ghazan was good with kids.<p>

It was one of the best decisions the group had made. She didn't think they had ruined the two boys, but it was hard to tell sometimes. It's what happened when a living weapon and two criminals had input into the raising of children. It was a good thing they did though, otherwise the boys would be vegetarian monks who could parrot off _The Complete and Unabridged Works of Guru Laghima, Volumes One to Seventeen_, just as Zaheer could.

She wished it was her out there, handing the sleazeball his ass. Shame that the ice queen had decided it would be a good idea to stab an icicle through the Rabiroo waterbender's leg. That might explain why she was knocked into the water by Korra in the first five seconds of that match. She was normally a lot faster then that. So the Shirshus upheld their other record of always getting kicked out of the championships.

P'Li swore as loud as Ghazan at the referees when the Wolfbats used water with rocks in it. A blatant foul that P'Li had seen break someone's jaw once. The refs must've been paid off. That wouldn't have stopped the Shirshus, they worked like clockwork in a game. Once they were even voted best teamwork by some newspaper. The Fire Ferrets were almost as good. The crowd cheered around them.

P'Li heard something behind her and turned, in time to feel electricity coursing through her veins from a man wearing a black cloth over his face in the stands behind her. She saw Ming Hua drop like a bumblefly and Ghazan holding both hands on the railing as he fought to stay standing. The earthbender slumped as the masked woman wearing the mechanical glove pressed her hand against his side, making the electricity stronger. P'Li weakly shot a wave of fire at her attacker as her knees gave out.

Black spots clouded her vision as she saw a staff slamming into her attacker's head and Zaheer standing over his fallen friends, his wooden staff held in a fighting position. Darkness claimed her as she heard the Equalist leader's voice ring out through the stadium.

She awoke a few minutes later with Zaheer's worried face hovering over her. She blinked sluggishly and glanced around, seeing Ghazan trying to pull himself and a half-conscious Ming Hua up. She tried to do the same, feeling Zaheer's hands on her shoulders, steadying her. "What happened?" She asked, holding her head.

Zaheer was sporting a new bruise on his jaw. "Equalists attacked the stadium. They blew up the arena." P'Li clenched her eyes shut. There went their jobs. What would they do now?

"Fucking Equalists." Ghazan was wincing as he stood, carrying the tiny waterbender. Ming Hua was limp in his tattooed arms, cloudy blue eyes staring without seeing at the hole in the glass roof. The lavabender stumbled, Zaheer moving to prop him up with his shoulder. "Bending is the cause of all wars, my ass." He coughed, an angry burn over his ribcage from the glove.

Councilman Tenzin rushed over to them, checking on his Acolyte. "Are you all alright?" Zaheer looked at his friends and nodded.

"We'll live." Tenzin nodded as he stroked his beard, worry creasing his forehead.

"We better get you all back to Air Temple Island. Korra and the brothers are fine, by the way." P'Li breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't had their bending taken, thank the Spirits. Her eyes hardened. Amon and his mooks would pay.

P'Li placed a hand on the athlete's shoulder, her other arm still wrapped around her boyfriend's shoulders. "We're with you." Her boys grinned wide and Korra smirked. The Equalists wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

><p>"Wait, wait, wait." Ghazan did so, taking the time to adjust the ice on his collarbone. "Let me get this straight." The bartender held up his hands and shook his head. "So after the probending arena was blown up, you helped take down equalist mechatanks in an underground lair and Avatar Korra was kidnapped by this Councilman Tarrlok, a bloodbender?"<p>

"Yeah."

"But you and your team found her afterwards?"

"Well, Naga found us."

"The polar bear dog?" The earthbender nodded. "Okay. Then you held off the Equalists on Air Temple Island."

Ghazan smiled. "Yep. 'Li shot down an airship before we escaped and joined the Avatar."

The bartender nodded, "and while the Avatar exposed Amon's bending and took down the Equalist Revolution, you were freeing prisoners and taking down the Equalist's main base, is that right?"

The earthbender grinned savagely. "Melted the tunnel in myself. That was fun." The bartender wisely chose not to comment and instead refilled the man's glass. Ghazan knocked it back in one go.

"Then you went down to the South Pole a few months later when all that weird Dark Spirit stuff was happening and protected a town from the abominations."

"You got it. Korra was opening the Southern portal at the time. Which may not have been a good idea considering what happened next but what are you gonna do?" The earthbender shrugged, using a cloth to dab at his split lip and holding it under his nose, catching the blood that was trickling out of his nostril.

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "Right. Then you were part of the Resistance against the Northern forces on the South Pole." He saw the man nod again. "Then you joined Avatar Korra to take down that Dark Spirit Vaatu when the sky went all purple."

"Yep. That was Harmonic Convergence. I still think this was all bull, by the way. Some sort of mass hallucination."

"You were saying." The bartender decided it would be best for his continued health to not point out the dozen or so Spirits outside to the street fighter. It was just business. The customer's always right, even if he refused to believe in something right in front of him. "Everyone got airbending after that, right?"

"That's right. Zaheer got it too. You should've seen him, it was hilarious." The man chuckled at the memory, downing the earth kingdom whiskey. "Then we travelled the Earth Kingdom with the Avatar to help rebuild the Air Nation." The street fighter rubbed his jaw, wincing as his hand brushed what felt like another bruise. The bartender refilled his shot glass again.

"Then there was the Koh incident? What was that about again?" The earthbender rolled his eyes and scratched the back of his head.

"That was really weird." Ghazan cracked his neck and stretched, thankful he hadn't gotten any broken ribs this time. "Okay, so there were these bandits who wandered through a Spirit portal and ended up meeting the Face Stealer. He took their faces and held them ransom in return for getting the bandits to do things for him."

"Like killing the Earth Queen." The bartender said.

Ghazan tilted his head. "Well, she was a bitch. But then those bandits tried to kidnap Korra and send her into the Avatar State so Koh could steal her face."

The bartender hadn't heard about this. "What would that do?"

Ghazan shrugged. "Hell if I know. Zaheer explained about six theories to me and I tuned out after he said 'they will take Korra into the Spirit World'. That was the first sentence. I don't do 'Spirits'. Korra broke out though. But she was in a bad state for a while." The man nudged his glass towards the bartender, hinting at him to refill it. The bartender did so.

"That was for three years, right? When the Great Uniter was in power?" Ghazan nodded.

"Me, Ming, 'Li and Zaheer were a Resistance group in the Serpant's Pass. We caused a lot of trouble for that dictator." He smiled at the memories.

"You supported Prince Wu?"

Ghazan shook his head. "Not really. But it was an excuse for Ming Hua to kill people, Zaheer to think up complicated strategies, P'Li got to blow shit up and I got to burn things. That was the main reason why we did it." A smirk twisted his face as he unconsciously tightened the red-stained bandages around his knuckles.

"I thought the White Lotus were peaceful." The bartender fought the urge to take a step back.

"Everyone has their quirks." Ghazan shrugged. "We protected the Avatar. That was our main job. Causing trouble is an added bonus. We didn't get paid anyway so what were they gonna do about it?" He downed the shot, the cheap earth kingdom whiskey beginning to take effect on him.

"So, you did all of that? Saved the world about three times?" Ghazan nodded. The bartender threw his hands to the sides. "So what are you doing getting drunk in the middle of nowhere?"

Ghazan wagged a finger at him. "I needed a good fight. There are some damn good street fighters here. I need to make money to get drunk somehow." He slammed some money on the table. "Keep the shots coming, and I'll tell you about the pro-bending match between the Fire Ferrets and the Shirshus." His words were beginning to slur together.

The bartender immediately refilled the glass. "There was one of those?"

"Not officially." Ghazan rolled his shoulders and immediately regretted it as he was reminded of of all the bruises he had earned in his twenty or so fights. He lost count at some point. "My team, the Ferrets, Tenzin and chief Beifong broke into the Arena after it was repaired."

"You're joking."

* * *

><p>"We shouldn't be doing this." Mako said as Asami turned the lights on, illuminating the stadium. Ghazan walked in and clapped his shoulder, holding a helmet under his arm.<p>

"Mako, take that stick out of your ass right now. I will not accept a fun-killing cop as family." Mako pointed at the helmet.

"Is that Ming Hua's?" He asked, not even questioning how the lavabender had appeared suddenly.

Ghazan nodded. "And that is why I am here and not anywhere near the stadium." He leaned against the wall of the boiler room. "So what are the rules going to be? Normal pro-bending, or normal probending with all bending styles allowed?"

Mako grinned. "You'd use the second one anyway." Ghazan held up his hands.

"Guilty as charged, officer." He grinned. Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and left the room. Asami laughed.

"How do people put up with you?" She asked. Ghazan shrugged.

"I'd tell you if I knew." He held the door open as the heiress left, wiping her hands clean on a rag. He followed her out. "So, are you going to take Zaheer's bet?" Asami glanced at him with confused green eyes. Ghazan explained. "Zaheer plans on starting a betting pool on the winners tonight."

Asami didn't bother saying her choices out loud. It was pretty obvious that the Shirshus had no chance in a free-for-all. But saying that right now would be rude. Ghazan left her as she went to the stands and sat next to the Air Acolyte. Tenzin's family sat next to him, joined by Lin. Tenzin stood in the referee platform, an uncharacteristic grin on his face.

Zaheer smiled at her as she sat down. "Want to place a bet? There's a four to one chance the Ferrets are going to win."

Asami pushed a strand of hair behind her ears. "You're the one?" She asked. He was the boyfriend of the team captain, after all.

"No, no, no chance." Zaheer shook his head vehemently. "I may be an optimist but I'm not stupid. Ming Hua's certain she's going to win. Lin, Tenzin, Pema and I are on the Avatar's side. It's the Avatar."

Asami couldn't stop the chuckle. "No loyalty to your friends, then?"

Zaheer raised a brow. "Not when it comes to money. Are you in?" Asami nodded.

"First two rounds will be tie-breakers but the Ferrets will win by a knockout." Zaheer nodded.

"Lin says hat trick on Mako's part in the second round. We'll see who's right." Tenzin waved a flag for the two teams to begin. Lava rose and flung itself at the Ferrets, Bolin stepping in and turning it into earth. Ming Hua and Mako were exchanging blasts of fire and water as P'Li dodged a gust of air that threatened to knock her off her feet.

Ming Hua twirled and leaped, one blast of fire coming close enough that she felt the heat through her black and blue uniform, while she created torrents of water that pelted towards the teenagers. Bolin dodged and barely had time to duck as an earth disc sailed over his head. He stomped his foot and twin disc rose, flying towards his mentor as they heated.

Ghazan redirected them of the sides of the arena, in time to get another disc flying into his stomach, sending him to zone two. Bolin had picked up that move from watching him spar. It was a preferred tactic of his for a while, to send a rock at someone then tackle them. It was because of that move that he actually once won a fight against Zaheer, turning the spar into a wrestling match that was more suited to his high pain tolerance and not Zaheer's speed and acrobatics.

Ghazan grinned and slammed the blue metal with a fist, sending three earth discs at once towards the teenagers. Mako and Korra, distracted by their opponents, were knocked back a zone while Bolin punched the disk into rubble. A jet of water by Korra knocked the older earthbender into zone three. P'Li threw a leg in a low sweep, almost sending the Avatar off the edge, the young waterbender barely keeping her footing. The next gust of wind caught her in the stomach, landing her right in zone two.

An earth disc from Ghazan flew by her ear, disintergrating into dust righ before it hit Bolin's face shield. Tenzin blew his whistle. "No breaking earth discs into smaller pieces!" He yelled, earning a rude gesture from the other man.

Fire hit Ghazan's stomach, sending him off the edge and into the pool. The earthbender gasped as he was submerged, instinctively struggling to escape the water. Ming Hua had tried to teach him swimming once. It didn't work out. It was Zaheer's idea to make his uniform bouyant and Ghazan was going to hug him when he got out of here. He tried to sweep his arm so he could reach the nearby platform.

Ming Hua had watched him go and had instantly retaliated, knocking Mako off his feet. The waterbender was about to send him over the edge when an earth disc made her join P'Li in the second zone. The teenagers immediately focused their attacks on her while she was still gaining her balance. Korra kicked her leg in a spinning roundhouse, creating a wave of air that knocked both girls off the side.

The girls broke the surface, Ming Hua kicking towards Ghazan who had not gotten any closer to the platform and had only succeeded in spinning himself in a circle. P'Li bit her lip to stop herself laughing, amusement glittering in her russet eyes as she helped pull him along. The earthbender pouted as best he could with his erratic heartbeat and completely-not hyperventilating. He didn't do that. Shut up P'Li.

Mako, Korra and Bolin were congratulating each other and celebrating right there in the arena. As the adults stood on the platform the firebender glanced at her team. "I guess our boys have grown up." The other two nodded, Ghazan rubbing his stomach. P'Li pulled on some unknown confidence that her team mates gave her. "At least it wasn't the Wolfbats." There were murmurs of agreement.

Zaheer grumbled as he passed his yuans to Pema, the woman switching her hold on a sleeping Rohan to collect her winnings, as she smiled kindly, a smug look twinkling in her green eyes. Bumi was muttering about how he should've bet a first round knockout. Zaheer yelled down to Ming Hua, "You owe us all twenty yuans."

He could practically feel the death glare.

* * *

><p><strong>So here you go Kaoupa. I hope it was okay. It was fun trying to recreate the Legend of Korra with these guys as the good guys. P'Li would totally be Team Captain. I hope I'm able to keep their characters consistent with each oneshot.<strong>

**I do take suggestions and requests, in case you have any. Thank you for reading.**


	7. After All These Years

Zaheer sat quietly, trying to meditate and reach the Spirit World. Nothing. He hadn't given up his earthly tethers, as he had found out when he was meditating in his cell a few feet off the floor. The pain had roared through his mind like a dragon, sending grief coursing through his veins and pain through his nerves when he crashed to the floor. All his friends were dead and he was alone, trapped to the ground and the physical world by their ghosts. Then he was trapped to the ground by the loss of his airbending.

There was no painful ache, it was as though it had never been. He knew what that was like, having spent most of his life a nonbender, but he missed it. He was lucky though, he could survive without bending skills while it would have crushed someone like Ming Hua.

Ming Hua. The small woman, his close friend, the one who was a better sister to him then his real ones, his equal. She was like him in many ways, determined, trying to achieve the impossible, the natural leaders. She was sadistic and bloodthirsty and everything the Air Acolytes disavowed. Deep inside, mostly repressed, Zaheer was as vicious as his tiny, murderous friend.

Ghazan was, to the surprise of most, not his 'best friend'. Zaheer didn't like to pick between his friends in such a way, to put one on a pedastal and ignore the rest. Ghazan was everything Zaheer was not. Loud when Zaheer was quiet, energetic instead of calm, the pessimist to Zaheer's optimist. No one would pick the happy-go-lucky earthbender as the pessimistic one. He somehow pulled it off while remaining his smug, patient, cheerful self. Just as Zaheer managed to be the serious, studious leader who never saw anything but the silver lining.

P'Li. The thought of her had agony twisting his stomach into knots. P'Li, the statuesque sniper, the light of his life, his love. He searched the Spirit World for her, before his mind deemed it too painful and somehow barred him from the Spirit World. He wishes it had been him who had died instead of the beautiful combustionbender. He hadn't realised how much he loved her until years after he saved her. He had been shy. She was too good for him.

It had been Ghazan who helped him realise that P'Li needed to know how he felt. The lavabender had been a complete ass when they had first recruited him, cocky and snappish, always flirting with Ming Hua and P'Li, a smartass teenager. Ghazan hadn't liked Zaheer at all when they first met, it was understandable with what had happened with his sister, but still, the two had to room together and things were just awkward. But Ghazan had reminded Zaheer of his feelings for the sniper, it may not have been in a nice way, but it had worked. They worked well together, as a team, as friends.

Soon after his recapture, Zaheer had found out that he was truly alone. P'Li had died for the cause. Zaheer had to watch that, but to know that Ming Hua had been killed in battle and Ghazan had willingly buried himself alive had caused him to stop eating. Ming Hua wouldn't have gone painlessly; she would have tried to fight through the burning electricity. Ghazan, who loved life and everything in it, had chosen death over being back on his personal hell. They had to force the rice down his throat, ignoring his pleas to just let him die so he could regain his freedom and see his friends once more. They chose to keep him alive, because they were merciful.

This wasn't mercy. It was cold-blooded torture. He had been tied down the first few weeks, restrained so he couldn't move. He was trapped in a metal box, just as he had been after he was originally captured. This prison was very similar to his old one, aside from the fact that he was now underground somewhere. Then the Avatar came, to tell him how he had failed, how his friends had perished and finally reaching into his spirit and removing the gift he had been granted. He had taken savage glee from the fact that she couldn't walk. He was unable to taunt her about this small victory, gagged into silence and bound so he couldn't move. He hadn't needed to suffer any more indignities like that after she had left him behind in his prison, bending removed and with a sneaking suspiscion she had cut off his access into the Spirit World.

He had never been unable to enter the Spirit World before. In his old prison, he had spent most of his time traversing the place, avoiding Wan Shi Tong's library where the traitor Unalaq spent his time, also avoiding the Tree of Time because Vaatu creeped the ever-loving hell out of him, as Ghazan would put it. He also stumbled upon Koh's domain once. He had recognised the tree instantly and had stayed in the physical world for the next month or so.

He was actually starting to wish that he could do that again, as terrifying as it had been, because that meant his mind, at least, wouldn't have to be trapped here. He didn't know whether it was because of the Avatar or his grief, but he had been in a dark place for a while. They still made sure there was a skilled healer nearby at all times in case he attempted to cave his skull in again.

Zaheer dragged his mind away from those dark thoughts. He always believed repression was not a good way to deal with things, but it was the only way for him now. He had lost hope, lost his faith. The only time he was happy now was when he let himself fall into the clutches of madness, and visions of his dead friends swirled before his eyes, reminding him of happier times.

The first time Ming Hua fought Ghazan and got her ass kicked by plain old earth and dust. No lava. When Ming Hua would make him do her hair when the other two were sparring. Spending time with P'Li. Driving a van while Ghazan rode an earth wave and tried to beat him in a race. The feeling of what it was like to fly, to feel every subtle nuance in the air, to be free.

The anarchist smiled as he reminisced on fond memories. He tried his best to remember the good times, when they were a team, rather then painful memories. He had too many of those. A tray of food was pushed through the slit in the wall. Zaheer sighed as he began to meditate again, the phantom memories of his dead family, because they were his family, ever-lingering in the back of his mind.

* * *

><p>Zuko didn't visit Dragonfire Isle often. It was one of the more remote islands of the Fire Nation. But he had heard about this amazing new tea shop that everyone loved. So, having the same enthusiasm for tea as his late Uncle, Zuko had to visit.<p>

It was situated right by the beach, specifically chosen to have a wonderful view. The elderly man admired the teahouse as Druk landed. It looked like it had been formed from the mountain itself, the volcanic basalt forming the foundations and base before seamlessly changing to wood.

Zuko slowly made his way up the steps to the porch, pausing for a moment to take in the scenery. It was a perfect day for tea, the ocean was so blue it was hard to tell where the sky began, a gentle breeze wafting through the air, the sun blazing down and warming his old bones.

Zuko entered the tea shop and stood. The waitress was currently serving a young couple who were obviously newlyweds. The woman rose from her stooped position. And rose. And rose. She certainly was tall. Her dark amber eyes swept over the bright interior, pausing on the old man's frame. She looked incredibly familiar.

She hurried over and bowed when she reached him. "Fire Lord Zuko. I'm honoured to welcome you to my tea shop." That voice! Where had he heard it before?

"_Must be something exciting going on." The ragged figure inside the cell moved closer to the icy metal, her breath puffs of warm air in the bitter cold. "No one interesting has visited me in thirteen years."_

The woman ushered him to a seat, a bandanna the colours of sunset covering her forehead. Zuko thanked her. "I'm no longer the Fire Lord. You don't need to call me that."

She nodded, her dark hair reaching her chin. "Very well Lord Zuko. My name is Pirra. What can I get for you?" Zuko perused the menu she had given him.

"What are the house specials?" He asked.

'Pirra' smiled. It looked forced. "The house specials are the volcano coffee and lava cake, the iced oolong tea and aqua wagashi plate, the jasmine spice tea with a fire flake muffin and the typhoon green tea with a fruit tart."

Zuko read over the menu once more. "What is a lava cake?" He had never heard the term before. It sounded interesting.

The tea shop owner recited a description of the item. "A chocolate cake with a molten centre that is a mixture of chocolate and spices. Would you like to order it?" She held up her small notebook. The former fire lord shook his head.

"I'll simply have the jasmine tea, thank you. No spice." Tea was not meant to be spicy. The tall woman nodded as she wrote down his order. She pivoted to walk to the kitchen, stopping along the way to check on her customers. Zuko looked out the window as he pondered his next course of action. Should he attempt to subdue her now or simply contact the White Lotus? What if she poisoned his tea?

The elderly firebender was snapped from his musings by a small tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see a small girl with a sky-coloured bandanna looking up at him curiously. Zuko smiled warmly at her. "Hello little one."

"Hi." The little girl responded as she blinked her orange eyes at him. "Wha' happen to your eye?" Zuko chuckled at the bluntness of the child.

"I got it when I was young, because of a bad mistake." He answered. The girl nodded.

"Mama has a scar too, on her forehead. She said it was 'cause she did someting bad but she's sorry now." The little girl pointed at her own forehead.

"Li-li!" A young boy with green eyes ran up to the girl. He tapped her shoulder, his green eyes bright. "got you." He looked similar enough to her that Zuko figured they must have been brother and sister.

"Zarru! Lien! Don't bother the poor man!" Pirra set Zuko's tea in front of him as she admonished the children, tucking a stray lock of brown hair behind the girl's ear as she smoothed the boy's dark hair. Zuko raised a hand.

"No need to worry. I've had odder questions. Are they yours?" He was reminded of the way his mother treated him and Azula.

Pirra nodded as she shuffled the children away. "Go play, you two." Lien waved back at the ambassador as she ran out to the porch. Zuko returned the wave.

Pirra made to move away when Zuko fixed her with a stare. "I believe we need to have a quick talk."

The woman closed her eyes and dropped her head as she sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." She pulled a chair from an empty table and sat across from him. "Look, I've turned over a new leaf. I've made a life here. I'm not throwing that away. I have the twins to think about." P'Li glared coldly at him, daring him to attack her, to try and separate her from her children.

Zuko nodded sagely. "Be that as it may, you are still a wanted criminal."

P'Li laughed darkly, the sound very familiar to the one her waterbending accompliance used whenever she was questioned. "Actually I'm dead. Didn't you hear? I blew myself up." She lifted the bandanna on her forehead, revealing the mass of burnt scar tissue where her tattoo used to be. She covered it again, a fake smile twisting her lips.

Zuko was not quite as impressed as another would be. He sipped the jasmine tea slowly, ready to spit it out if it was poisoned. It was very good tea. The combustionbender who could't combustionbend was a proficent tea maker. It would be almost a shame to lock her up again, and he had to consider what would happen to the little ones.

Damn. Was this how Aang felt when he turned up at the Western Air Temple? It was very… awkward was the closest word to describe it. At least the combustionbender wasn't simply showing up and saying 'Hi. P'Li here. I'm good now.' He realised something. He was given a chance to redeem himself, despite everything he had done. Why shouldn't he offer this woman the same oppurtunity? What would Aang do?

His decision made, Zuko finished his tea and slowly got to his feet. She watched his movements carefully, her orange eyes flicking between him and the door. "It was good tea, Miss Pirra. I shall have to return to try the lava cake at some time." Perhaps he should bring Ty Lee. His friend had quite a sweet tooth. With that thought in mind he left the tea shop, clambering onto Druk's back. One beat of the dragon's powerful wings lifted the reptile into the sky.

P'Li watched him go and tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear. She watched her son and daughter chase each other on the white sand before entering the shop for her customers. _You would have loved them Zaheer._

* * *

><p>She swam through the water like a fish, propelling herself with just a thought. She smiled wide. This was her place, her element. She propelled herself out of the water on a water spout, her dark eyes surveying the land. The Serpent's Pass didn't get nearly enough credit. It was extraordinarily beautiful, in a dangerous way. The Serpent itself was no problem, after Ming Hua had given it a reason to fear her. It could still hunt with one eye.<p>

She let the water below her feet leave her control as she began a freefall towards the crystalline lake. She let out a yell of exhilaration and adrenaline. She loved being up high, above the ground. She was a powerful enough bender that she could propel herself as high she dared to dream if she had a sufficent amount of water, and Zaheer had been perfectly willing to take her and P'Li for rides on his glider. Shame he was imprisoned.

Her eyes glittered as she raised her element towards her, cushioning her fall as she dived. She created a bubble of air around her head as she looked around, spying a dark seprentine shape in the distance. She kicked her legs and cut through the water like a dolphin pirahna, surfacing when she was near the shore. She rolled over and floated on her back, gazing at an azure sky shot with gold and violet.

She had seen the Auroras of the North created by the Spirits dancing. It was one of the most beautiful things she'd witnessed. Ghazan had scoffed at the superstitiousness of the other three, claiming that there had to be a reasonable explanation that did not involve Spirits. He refused to accept the obvious truth and sulked for the rest of the day. This sky, a pale sapphire laced with soft fire, was gorgeous in its own way, with the vague hint of constellations hiding behind clouds.

She kicked her foot out of the water, sending a stream of glittering droplets through the air. She rolled and dived again, reaching the rock. She stared at the light filtering through the water above her, focusing slightly to bring her to the surface. She swam towards the nearby shore until the water was shallow enough her feet could touch the ground.

Water dripped off her long hair as she created her arms. She twisted her torso slightly and cringed. There were new burn scars lacing her sides and tracing her slim figure. She should've known there was something up about that kid. The Avatar wouldn't hang around with a weakling. She had a lavabender, a novice one, but even Ghazan's lavabending was, at best, a novice art, considering everything he did was something he created himself.

Ming Hua didn't know what to think about the nonbender that travelled with the Avatar, but she had heard rumours. Asami Sato, the heiress of one of the largest mechanic companies in the world. She had to be good at something. Ming Hua knew better then to underestimate nonbenders after working with Zaheer for half her life.

Ming Hua also had the sneaking suspiscion she was the Avatar's girlfriend, but this was the same woman who had created a dozen backstories for every single one of her guards. The love lives she fabricated for all of them got a bit out of hand after a while. It wasn't like there was actually a tangled web of relationships between them, or that Ping was actually a girl. Right?

She should have known that the firebending cop could do something useful. Not that firebending wasn't useful, but the kid hadn't done well against her with just firebending. The waterbender should've realised he was holding back.

She took a breath and pushed away the mental tirade she was inflicting on herself. Ming Hua didn't look back, there was no use reminiscing on past failures. She fucked up, she moved on. That was her way. She couldn't focus on her waterbending if mistakes swirled thorugh her head. Water was the element of change, she heard once. It adapted to everything and never stpped flowing. Ming Hua was water. She had a closer connection with her element then most benders, her mind being the only thing that granted her control of it.

She glanced at her bare shoulders. Sometimes she wondered what it was like to have normal arms, like everyone else. What was it like to touch something with a hand or feel her element running over fingertips? What was it like to hit her elbow or brush a hand over someone's cheek, as she had seen couples do?

She gathered more water for her arms, lengthening them to get her back to the small house Ghazan had created for her. He often stayed over when he wasn't roaming the kingdom to find Zaheer or his 'lavabending student' and when he wasn't being a wuss. Water wasn't dangerous, not unless she was wielding it.

Her home was built from the rock itself, hidden from the view of any on a boat in the lake. There were only four people alive who knew where it was. Her, Ghazan, P'Li and this dumb kid who'd heard rumours about a powerful waterbender and had begged to be taught.

Shen wasn't that bad. He had travelled into the Serpent's Pass, commonly known as 'the Dreaded Path of Death and No Return for Doomed Idiots'.

She'd actually seen that on a sign once. Human stupidity was still going around, it seemed.

The kid was a reckless fool. But she had decided to test him. He had survived two minutes of sparring against her, and then she had an apprentice. He brought her a weekly supply of food as payment for her teachings. Ming Hua was thinking of putting out a notice. _Waterbending teacher, pay in food and cushions._ One could never have enough cushions.

But she'd have to make sure no Kuvira supporters found out about her. Ghazan wasn't the only one who'd never go back to prison. She was pretty lucky that Earth Kingdom folk were as superstitious as the Water Tribes in their own way. It was an 'everything is trying to kill you so be wary or die' set of beliefs, but it meant nothing bothered her.

Which was good because corpses had a way of drawing unwanted attention.

Ming Hua yawned as she turned the ends of her water arms to ice and pulled a robe over her one-piece swimming suit. A moment of concentration and her hair was back in it's usual updo. The woman decided to sate her hunger with a sweet bun or two rather then go through the trouble of making dinner. It may not have been healthy but it was sugary goodness and right now she didn't give a crap about her waistline like most girls. It might actually help if she put on a bit of weight and stopped looking like a skeletal wraith, but she didn't have the appetite.

Ming Hua let herself fall onto her wonderfully soft bed, watching as the moon rose through the window. It woulld be full tomorrow, and she _never _slept through a full moon. She'd make sure her apprentice didn't either. A wicked smirk curled on her face as she plotted the lesson plan for tomorrow. There would be a spar, definitely. She still lived for a good fight.

But she had learned that a peaceful life wasn't that bad after all.

* * *

><p>There was a note where the bread roll originally was. Bolin sighed as he spotted it, in the middle of pulling off his metal-trimmed robe. He had no idea how Kuvira managed to wear that and all the other bits of metal she had. It was heavy.<p>

He finally succeeded in yanking the green robe off his head, messing his hair in the process. He reached into the small bowl by the window and pulled out the piece of paper. The young lavabender sighed as he tried to decipher the messy scrawl. Even after all the notes, the handwriting was still hard to read.

_Bolin._

_Thanks for the dumplings last time. They were good. P'Li and Ming Hua say hi, as usual. P'Li's had kids, two of 'em. Lien and Zarru. They're adorable._

_So you're working with that Kuvira lady. I've heard some stuff about her. It's not good stuff. But I don't trust rumours. Be careful kid, anyone messes with you, you cook 'em. Lava will melt every metal I've come across. Which is good for you because you're in an army of metalbenders. But don't trust that Kuvira lady, not until you know she's good._

_Anyway, a tip for when you don't have a lotta earth is to use a small amount and spin it. A spinning wheel of lava will cut through anything if it's hot enough. It's how I escaped prison. Remember to keep practicing, as always._

_See you around. Ghazan._

Bolin laughed as he read the even messier note that must've been added later.

_What the fuck, kid? I broke into your apartment and all your stuff is gone. Then I find out you now live on a train. A train. What happened to Ba Sing Se? Do you do this shit just to make my life difficult? Now I have to somehow jump onto the outside of a metal deathtrap moving faster then a combustion blast. Thanks a lot kid._

That explained why he hadn't gotten any new notes. The older lavabender must've been searching the kingdom. But how had he opened Bolin's window? It was probably best not to think about things like that.

Bolin had been getting letters like this for the past few months. It had been unnerving at first, but the tips did help and at least Ghazan wasn't breaking in to the apartment the brothers shared so he could kill them. Bolin had started leaving food out, just in case. Mako wasn't pleased but there wasn't anything either of them could do about it. Installing new locks didn't work.

As Bolin was reading over the letter the author was getting as far away from that train as he possibly could. He'd heard all about The Great Uniter and a lot of it was pretty damn terrifying. Such as her recruitment methods. Shivers went down his spine just thinking about it. He did not want to get crushed by a train.

Ghazan had been travelling the Earth Kingdom in search of his kinda-sorta lavabending student. He had to admit, ithere weren't as many bandits. That was better then when the Earth Queen ruled. But from what he'd heard, Kuvira wasn't much better.

Ghazan stopped in a small town as he had been doing for ages, switching his small rucksack to his other shoulder. The ground was boiling under the sun but his bare feet felt nothing. He scanned the crowd for danger, his eyes spotting everything shiny and sparkly. Not that he'd steal anything. He never liked being a thief anyway. Street fighting was more fun.

Speaking of fighting, there were soldiers here. Obviously a recent addition. Ghazan rolled the sleeves on his shirt down, covering his tattoos. He may be technically dead but that didn't mean he couldn't get arrested again. He was never going back to jail.

He smiled as he pulled the bread roll Bolin had left out of his pocket, kneeling down and offering it to a small girl covered in dust. The soldiers wouldn't suspect a man who gave food to children. Plus, it was the nice thing to do. The child thanked him and hurried off. Ghazan watched her go. She ran up to a man who had to be her older brother because he looked way too young to have a daughter that age.

There was something really similar about both of them and Ghazan couldn't quite put his finger on it. The young man crossed his arms and that was a scarily accurate impression of the lavabender. Kid even had the same hairstyle Ghazan had as a teenager, and the same build. He's just missing the tattoos.

The lavabender can't exactly hear what they're saying to each other but the little girl is pouting and that's _his_ pout. She stamps her foot and Ghazan feels some of the rock nearby him heat up. It's exactly the same thing that happens to him when he gets angry and there is no way that little girl's a lavabender but a small pool of the liquid earth is bubbling away next to her and what the hell is going on here?

A man walks up to them and Ghazan _knows_ he's seen this guy before. From the way the little lavabender kid runs up to him, this is Dad. The man is water tribe, it's obvious, and the little toddler girl on his shoulders has the same blue eyes. The former criminal can't help but think about his honourary niece and nephew in the Fire Nationand how adorable they is even when their trying to eat his hair. He hasn't seen them in months. They're probably walking now.

Ghazan is trying really hard to remember how the water tribe man looks so familiar that he almost misses seeing the woman who joins him. The little lavabender girl hands her the piece of bread and points at Ghazan. He probably shouldn't be staring. The woman smiles and takes the bread, before she follows her daughter's line of sight and Ghazan's mind decides to flee him because there is no way, no _fucking_ way.

But it is. The face is almost exactly the same, just with a few more lines and less shadows, and the black hair has been cut and has strands of silver in it but it's her. She looks so similar and yet so different from when he last saw her. She looks strong, healthy. He knows he looks different; she probably won't even recognise him. His hair is long and he's filled out, no longer just the beanpole he was at sixteen.

Ghazan realises he should probably remember to breathe because that's important but he's still frozen in shock which makes him more shocked because nothing surprises him. Except this, apparently.

Her dark hazel eyes, exactly the same as his own, meet his gaze. The eyes aren't familiar. They used to be sorrowful and sad and so fragile, but now the hazel orbs are bright with warmth and joy and love. He's not seen love in her eyes for years, not directed towards him, not since Min.

She recognises him and a hand flies up to cover her mouth. Her son and water tribe partner glare at Ghazan. He doesn't care. All that's running through his head are the endless apologies he has for her.

_I'm sorry I got captured, I'm sorry I killed that man, I'm sorry I killed Min, I'm sorry for joining the Red Lotus, I'm sorry I was in prison, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, I'm sorry I wasn't here, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm __**so**__ sorry._

He's about to tell her everything but she beats him to it and speaks first. She's going to tell him that he's useless and a murderer and she hates him and everything else he deserves for all the stupid things he's done and all the shit he's caused. He cringes in preparation and wishes that he could be less pessimistic for once.

"You- You have a moustache."

She always could tell what he was thinking, she knew everything that he had just wanted to say to her and somehow, amazingly, incredibly, she had decided to let the past die. She forgave him, truly, and he could see it. Not the way she did in the plague, where she only spoke to him and stopped him from dying because their father had told them to look after each other.

Ghazan smiled because that was the only thing he could do right now.

"Hey sis."

Jian smiled back.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry I didn't upload anything last week. Science is a bitch. Helpful hint: don't procrastinate on school work. It doesn't end well.<strong>

**I hope you like this. I also heard a nasty rumour that some of the Red Lotus weren't meant to survive the Season 3 finale. Imagine that.**

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. **

**Cheerio!**


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